


The Seed of Sin

by SerpentInRed, teamvanessacloud



Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:20:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 34,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27754477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentInRed/pseuds/SerpentInRed, https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamvanessacloud/pseuds/teamvanessacloud
Summary: Wise men from his land warned others about how sin could be cultivated by the most innocent means. But before it is fully grown, how can one be certain if the seed is a seed of sin or a seed of salvation?
Relationships: Hino Rei/Jadeite, Inner Senshi & Shitennou
Comments: 33
Kudos: 32
Collections: Senshi & Shitennou Mini Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Senshi/Shitennou Mini Bang 2020. Thanks to the mods who set this up! You guys are awesome! 
> 
> Huge thanks to my beta, NerysDax, for beta-ing the story, even though it's not her preferred fandom ;)! Huge thanks to ff9moonie for beta-ing chapters 1 and 2!
> 
> Huge, huge thanks to teamvanessacloud, for the beautiful artworks she'd done for the fic! You're awesome!
> 
> This story is sort of a mix and match of all Sailor Moon worlds (Crystal, manga, and 90's anime).

**Chapter 1**

"Hey, are you okay?"

He didn't immediately answer. Instead, he sat there in a daze though his mind vaguely registered his surroundings. It seemed like he was sitting on a grassy hill, with sparse newly-grown trees just a few meters away. He wasn't an expert in telling time from the position of the sun, but it seemed to be sometime between morning and noontime. Though his eyes were still a bit blurred, he could make out people a small distance away.

The person who'd spoken to him didn't press on. Instead, he took a seat beside him and waited for him to speak.

"Zen-san! Do you need help over there?"

"We're fine over here!" the young man—Zen—called back.

Jun didn't know how long it took, but when he spoke, the first words out of his mouth were, "What happened?"

His eyes flickered over, and they took in strawberry-blonde hair and eyes as green as the patch of grass he was sitting on top of.

Zen shrugged and pointed at him with the stick in his hand. "You might want to take off that coat of yours if you want to avoid a heat stroke."

That was when Jun Yoshida realized that Zen was right. The weather was much too warm for the down coat he was wearing, not to mention the layers and layers of clothing he had underneath.

"Do you remember what happened?" Zen asked, his intelligent green eyes peering at him.

Jun shook his head as he pulled off his coat and sweater absentmindedly. Images of snow and ice came to mind, but they made no sense to him.

Zen shrugged again as he played with the stick in his hands. "Normal, I suppose. You're not the first one to have short-term memory loss after coming out of the long sleep."

"The long sleep?" Jun asked, frowning.

The term caused a memory to flicker, but before Jun could confirm it with him, the young man spoke again.

"I suppose you don't remember we have a Queen and King now, do you?" Zen asked, raising an eyebrow.

The frown on Jun's face deepened, but he shook his head. Zen tilted his head to one side, waiting for Jun to explain himself.

"I remember," Jun replied. "But that's why ... I don't even understand why I'm still alive."

A sardonic smile appeared on Zen's face. "None of us do, to be honest."

Jun looked at him, surprised. "But … you woke up before I did. I thought you must be one of the people who'd retreated into the underground bunkers with supporters of the witch queen."

Though Jun wondered if "woke up" was the correct word. From what he remembered before he lost consciousness, he wasn't supposed to "wake up". But Jun supposed "woke up" was a better term than "coming back from the dead".

Zen shrugged again. "I suppose we're located closer to Crystal Tokyo."

The confusion must've shown on Jun's face, since the young man proceeded to explain.

"My family and I weren't the first ones to awaken. Apparently, other towns that were even closer to Crystal Tokyo woke up before we did. There's … rumors that … the Sailor Senshi are in the towns closest to the Crystal Tokyo to help."

Zen appeared uncomfortable in mentioning the Sailor Senshi, and to be fair, Jun couldn't blame him. From what he remembered, people who resisted the change, who rebelled against the witch queen either spoke about the Sailor Senshi with anger or indifference. Speaking about the Sailor Senshi doing good deeds wouldn't sit well for those who had been part of the rebellion. However, that wasn't the most important thing on his mind at the moment.

"Have you seen a little girl, about five years old?" Jun asked, worried. "She has short hair, up to about here."

He gestured to a bit below his shoulders before he trailed off, wondering if her hair would've gotten longer. He touched the back of his head to check and was surprised to find that his hair wasn't much longer than what it had been before he'd succumbed to the cold. His sister, Yua, had been ill with a fever, and though he knew it had been a risk, he had left the safety of their temporary home, hoping to find anyone, anything that could help her.

Before Zen could answer, Jun looked around, attempting to find the direction from which he had come from but to no avail. The landscape looked completely different without the layers of snow and ice. Instead, he just saw groups of trees here and there. Ruins of buildings stood defiantly amongst the green, as if to prove that they had witnessed and had gone through the wicked hand of Mother Nature.

"My group alone found plenty of children along the way, and even if you give me more details, I doubt I can point you to the correct safety center. Just in this city alone, there are over fifty temporary safety centers. The best way is to contact the local authorities, but right now, I doubt they have enough manpower to help you out until everything settles down a bit more," Zen replied. "Most of the world is just waking up after all."

His tone was far from sympathetic, but Jun knew that his words were logical. Besides that, there was also a strange feeling of trust Jun harnessed towards Zen, though this was the first time they'd met one another.

"She … had a fever. I'm worried that … that she might …"

Zen shrugged again. "I can't guarantee anything, but so far, I personally haven't seen any casualties. And hey, if we came out of something like this alive, I would assume that the little girl you're looking for must be alive as well."

"Zen-san!"

Zen looked towards the source of the voice and gave the woman who'd called a wave before turning back towards Jun.

"Gotta get back to work. You'll probably want to wait until everything settles down a bit before you search for that little girl you were talking about. My guess would be that she's fine." Zens eyes flickered for a moment before adding, "Judging from what I'd seen so far, the Queen would develop some kind of plan to help people look for their relatives anyway. She'd said something along the lines of … for those who hadn't gone into the bunkers to stay calm if we couldn't find our relatives." He tilted his head to one side and thought for a second before adding, "And if I were you, I'd help out with the rescue mission. After all, the sooner everything settles down, the easier it would be for you to find that little girl."

~-0-~

The world changed.

Jun supposed it wasn't all that surprising. What could one expect after an ice age? Or rather, the "Great Freeze", as the people called it nowadays.

The greatest difference was, perhaps, the politics, for a lack of a better word. Nobody would forget the battles and wars that had been fought after Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion took the throne, but one would find it difficult to find someone who would willingly speak about it. The opposition found it hard to speak of their concerns when the people who were helping the most were the Sailor Senshi. Everyday, there would be some new stories about how the guards of the new queen and king of the new Silver Millennium would extend a helping hand, even towards those who had once spoken loud and clear against being ruled. Whenever someone talked about the Sailor Senshi, they only had praises to sing.

Well, most people anyway.

Months after helping people settle into their new lives, Jun could only recall a couple of complaints about the Sailor Senshi, but there was one that particularly stood out.

"—out of here," Jun heard that day as he walked into the temporary apartment he was staying with Zen.

"I'm completely serious," a voice Jun recognized as a fellow volunteer rescuer answered.

"What are you talking about?" Jun asked as he closed the door behind him. "And hello, Shin-san."

"Hi, Jun-san," Shin greeted.

"Shin-san was just telling me about how someone actually had a run-in with the Sailor Senshi," Zen replied, jabbing a finger in the direction of their fellow volunteer rescuer.

Jun raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "I thought they were adamant about not getting into quarrels with civilians."

Zen shrugged.

"So what happened anyway?" Jun asked.

Regardless of whether this was true or not, it did make for interesting gossip.

Zen shrugged again. "Shin-san hadn't gotten to the details before you walked in."

They both looked towards the young man who looked ecstatic at the prospect of sharing news.

"You've both heard of Watanabe Naoto, haven't you?" Shin asked.

Jun furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Are you talking about the Watanabe Naoto?"

"The one who threatened to make a bridge to Crystal Tokyo with the bodies of authorities sent by Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion?" Zen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The same one," Shin answered.

"Did the Sailor Senshi have enough of his shit-talking mouth and beat him up?" Zen asked.

It wasn't new for the rumored loud-speaking giant of a man to speak clearly and derisively about anything the Queen and King did. Jun had even heard about people gambling in private in regards to when Naoto Watanabe would get arrested.

Shin laughed. "Not really, but close."

"How close?" Zen asked as he leaned back into the couch he was sitting on.

"Well, according to what I'd heard," Shin said, "the whole thing was pretty much a mess. Another authority was sent by the Queen to survey the south—"

"Another potential building block for the bridge to Crystal Tokyo," Zen quipped.

"The thing is, this time, it wasn't Watanabe who'd threatened to hurt the representative," Shin said, his eyes shining with humor.

Zen and Jun looked at him surprised.

"They say that the husband of the representative challenged Watanabe to a fight," Shin continued.

"The husband apparently has a death wish," Zen said, though his eyes lit up with curiosity and interest upon hearing this.

"Apparently. Not that I blame him though. The representative and Watanabe took a liking towards one another," Shin said.

"Did they know each other? Before?" Jun asked.

Shin shrugged. "Who knows? Would make sense though, since that might be the reason why the Queen decided to send the representative."

"I can't imagine Watanabe actually backing off because of old acquaintances though," Jun said with a frown as he rubbed his chin in thought.

"Well, if he liked her enough," Zen chimed in. "Love does weird things to a person."

"That's the regency romance side of you talking," Shin said, throwing a pillow from the couch at him.

Zen caught it with one hand and placed it behind his lower back. "Fine, for some people, sex does weird things to a person."

"She's married," Jun said as his frown deepened.

"You're saying it as if the Great Freeze eliminated all cheaters in the process. Natural selection doesn't work that way," Zen said. Almost as an afterthought, he added, "Would probably be a good thing if it did."

"But anyhow," Shin cut in, "the husband apparently got a black eye from their 'duel'."

"And the Sailors jumped in to his rescue?" Jun asked.

"Watanabe got tied up and is being hung on a tree," Shin confirmed.

"'Is' meaning he's still … er … hanging there?" Jun asked. "Nobody helped him out?"

"Well, people did try," Shin answered. "But apparently, the vines that are tying him to the tree are electrified and would zap anyone getting close to it."

Zen snorted. "Is Watanabe getting zapped, too?"

"Whenever someone tries to help him out, yeah," Shin replied, a corner of his lips tugging upwards in amusement.

It was a month later when Jun found out that the representative was Naru Umino, rumored to be a friend of the queen's since a young age. Apparently, her husband was also classmates with the queen and her Sailor Senshi.

The main culprit of tying Naoto Watanabe to a tree, one Sailor Jupiter, was also forbidden from visiting. Nobody knew if it was because Naoto might not survive a next visit from her or because Naoto kept ranting about how he would defeat her in their next battle.

~-0-~

Things had somewhat gone back to normal—well, as normal as things could be, after an ice age and the installment of a new government. People, as a whole, had accepted Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion as their liege, but there was still a small simmer of uncertainty beneath the façade of stability. Nonetheless, it was spring, and most, if not all, people had awoken. Even if someone did want to plan a revolution, they weren't going to do it right after finding out that those who would've died from the ice age were brought back to life by the queen's magic.

The landscape after the Freeze appeared to be much more different than anyone could have anticipated. Areas as small as towns needed to be rezoned. Searching for loved ones was a nightmare shared by most of those who had defied the Queen before the Freeze and made worse by whispers of karma by those who had once been part of the rebellion but had been swayed by the queen's subsequent acts of kindness.

And so, Jun's search for Yua had led him to Crystal Tokyo.

It sometimes made Jun wonder if it actually made sense, for something like missing family members to happen in a so-called utopia, especially when it was taking forever for people like him to find their loved ones.

"Well, _technically_ , we just got out of an ice age. At least most families have houses over their heads and nobody is worried about having no place to live," Zen had said when Jun mentioned it. "And you'll probably need more than an army to convince those people living in underwater houses that they're not living in an utopia."

Zen had a point, of course. It was all over social media when the idea was first proposed by one Sailor Venus. The poll she ran got an overwhelming amount of yeses, much to the dismay of Sailor Mercury. The reason behind Sailor Mercury's disapproval was undisclosed, but Zen had surmised that it was because it would be too much work, with or without magic. Jun didn't know too much about architecture and home construction, so he took Zen's word for it.

He supposed the people did appear to be happy, even the ones who were against Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion before the Great Freeze. Or at least, it appeared that way.

That particular morning, Jun had arrived at the department specially created to help anyone who needed help to find lost people. Jun had seen the crystal building the department was housed in beforehand, courtesy of the social media he was a part of, but he couldn't help but stare in awe the moment he saw it in person.

"Impressive, isn't it?" an old stranger asked with a wide grin on his face. "Built up overnight. One night there were just shambles and the next day a beautiful crystal building."

Had Jun wanted to, he supposed he could've befriended the old man to get more information, but he wasn't there to get information, or at least, he was pretty certain the old man couldn't possibly offer him what he needed. Therefore, Jun gave him a polite smile instead.

However, he had no idea if it were because the old man didn't get the hint or if it were because he wasn't obvious enough, but the old man continued rattling on.

"It's another feat by our wonderful Queen, of course. I'm glad to see that people are starting to see her for the kind person she is. I mean, I probably would've missed out if my granddaughter didn't force me to get into one of the bunkers that were set up before the Earth froze over."

Jun contemplated the merits of simply walking away, but for some reason, he didn't move from the spot. Instead, he stood there, listening to what the old man had to say.

"It wasn't because I was against the Queen taking the throne, but I thought that I was much too old at that time, and the future was supposed to be for youngsters like yourself," the old man said . "Seeing things like this makes me glad that I allowed my granddaughter to push me around. At least I got to see everything happen without missing out on any of the details."

It was another information that the former rebels had to digest after "awakening from their sleep", and that was the fact that people could choose to accept their new lieges and live to an average of a thousand years old.

Zen had been fascinated with that revelation, babbling on and on about how it was only an "average" and how that could mean that there were people who lived way beyond that thousand years. Jun, however, wondered about the merits of living a long life if there weren't some kind of goal to it.

"So many young people travel around the world to visit the city to see these new crystal structures," the old man continued. "The bunkers were comfortable, but meeting new people has always been a joy of mine." He peered at Jun, causing the latter to subconsciously straighten his back. "Is it your first time here?"

"No … well, yes, I guess," Jun answered, running a hand through his hair. "I mean … I've been here before the Great Freeze, but not afterwards."

The old man smiled and nodded. "So you'll be staying for a while?"

Jun nodded before hesitantly adding, "Until I find my sister."

The old man nodded before realization appeared on his face.

While there were some people in the bunkers who had family members who'd opposed the Queen, tabs were kept, and they immediately found their lost relatives after the snow melted away.

Only the rebels needed help finding their relatives.

It was absolutely absurd since Jun didn't know this old man, but somehow, knowing that the old man knew him for what he was, that Jun was one of the rebels who'd stood up against the Queen, triggered a feeling of nausea in Jun.

_You don't know him anyway._

_He doesn't know your name and more than likely he would forget you by tomorrow._

_This is the first time you've met him, so why do you care about what he thinks about you?_

But the problem was he _did_ care, and he didn't know why.

Seconds felt like minutes as Jun waited for the guillotine to drop, for some kind of judgement from the old man.

"It must be hard, not knowing where a loved one is," the old man finally said. He gave Jun another smile. "I don't know when you'll find your sister, but I hope you do soon. If you have time or after you find your sister, come visit me again."

A sense of relief washed over Jun, and he nodded in affirmation to the old man's words.

"I will," Jun promised.

At that moment, the old man's cell phone rang, and Jun watched as he took out the phone and spoke to the person on the other end. Meanwhile, Jun wondered if he should even ask for an address to find the old man, should he want to visit in the future. Would the old man find him suspicious? Would he think there was some kind of scheme up Jun's sleeves?

"—I'm almost there—Alright, alright, stop nagging—no, what do you mean by that? My own dear granddaughter, showing me this kind of distrust—"

The old man then bantered with the person, presumably his granddaughter for another five minutes before hanging up.

"So I'll see you again soon. I was supposed to meet with my granddaughter ten minutes ago," the old man explained.

"I'm sorry," Jun apologized with a bow.

The old man patted him on the shoulder before shuffling forwards. A sense of loss appeared in the pit of Jun's stomach, and he felt the urge to ask the old man just where to find him. Uncertainty and an absurd sense of longing warred inside him, and he was left staring at the back of the strange, old man.

At that moment, the old man turned around and gazed at Jun with a smile on his face. "I forgot to tell you! After you find your sister, come visit me at Hikawa Shrine. Even if you don't find her, you can still come be a volunteer!"

~-0-~

His cell phone rang the moment he walked out of the building, two hours later.

"So how did it go?" Zen's voice came from the other end.

"I've filed my case," Jun answered. He paused before he added, "Good timing. I just walked out of the building."

"That's because I'm right across the street from you, idiot," Zen answered.

Jun looked around and found Zen waving at him from inside the café he had previously seen the old man walk into. Rolling his eyes, he disconnected the call before crossing the street.

As he waited for the light to change, he wondered if he would see the old man again. He shook that thought away; it was two hours ago. He likely would've left already.

The door to the café opened with a soft jingle of the windchimes. The waitress behind the counter looked up from whatever she was doing, and a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Good day!" she called out with a friendly wave of her hand.

"Hi," he answered.

He maintained a friendly smile on his face as he took in the seemingly bubbly blonde in front of him. A less composed man would've been caught off guard by her, and it wasn't because she was beautiful. There was no question about her beauty, but there were plenty of people who could be considered "beautiful". No, there was something about her that brought people's attention over to her, as if there were something in her aura synonymous to that of a siren's song.

"How can I help you today? Are you here for one of our delicious cakes? Or are you here for a potted plant for your new apartment?" the blonde beauty asked with a smile.

Jun cleared his throat and tilted his head to one side. "Is it that obvious that I'm new in town?"

Something flashed through the blonde beauty's eyes. It passed by so quickly that any other person would've thought they'd imagined it, but Jun could almost always tell whether a person had the potential to be dangerous—Zen had even joked that it would be a rather useful technique if Jun ever wanted to be a bodyguard. Right now, his instinct was telling him that the beautiful woman standing in front of him could be potentially lethal should she be provoked.

Soon, the blonde was all smiles and charm again.

"Or maybe I just happen to know most people in town," she said, waving her hand in the air nonchalantly. "New society, new government, there's not much a common person can do except gossip, is there?"

"I suppose not," Jun replied, allowing a short laugh to escape his lips, knowing that he wasn't in immediate danger at the moment.

He allowed his eyes to rove over the store, taking in the homey decoration. Though the amount of plants inside the café felt a good measure over what most people would deem normal, it somehow didn't overwhelm the onlooker. The pastries on display were artforms in and of itself, and he reckoned that he would've been amazed by how delicately made each and every one of them was, if he weren't already surprised by the sheer amount.

"How many bakers do you have?" he asked, blinking.

The blonde giggled. "Just one." Endearment flashed through her eyes before she added, "We never have to worry about having extra by the end of the day. There's always someone ready to … make sure that nothing goes to waste."

They idly chatted as Jun picked out what he wanted before he walked through a small archway to the seating area where Zen was waiting for him.

"Here you go," the blonde chirped as she placed a cup of coffee and a slice of blueberry cake in front of him a moment later.

"Thank you," Jun replied with a bright smile.

The blonde tilted her head to one side, the same sweet smile on her face, as she gazed between Jun and Zen before she clicked her tongue. "Have all the good-looking men decided to just move into Crystal Tokyo recently?"

A short laugh left Jun's lips. "Maybe they've caught wind of a beautiful young lady working in a café around here."

"You have me wondering if you'll use that line on everyone who walks through that door, Minako-san," Zen spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Nonsense," the blonde—Minako—said with a pout. "Are you doubting my sight, Zen-san?"

A corner of Zen's lips curved upwards and he replied, "I think not. It's undeniable that I am a sight to behold after all."

They chatted for a couple of minutes before a voice from the back called for Minako. Jun and Zen watched her enter the kitchen before Jun spoke up again.

"So you two are already on a first-name basis?" he asked as he picked up the fork and took a bite out of the blueberry cake.

Zen shrugged. "We chatted for a bit before you walked in."

It took Jun a second to answer, as he marveled at how delicious the seemingly simple blueberry cake was.

Then, in a lower voice, he said, "There's more to her than she's letting on."

A grim smile appeared on Zen's face. "There's more to this whole café than what we see, too."

Jun looked at him in surprise.

Zen tilted his head towards the window in the direction of the building Jun had previously been in. Although he didn't say a word, Jun suddenly knew what he was talking about. This ability to almost communicate without speaking was something that had shocked Zen and Jun, especially during the early days of their acquaintance and friendship. It was almost as if they knew what the other person was thinking without needing spoken words, almost as if they'd worked with one another all their lives.

_Only the rebels would need to have their family members found._

And building a café right across from that department would be a strategic place for spying and keeping track of who entered the building and who didn't.

A wry smile appeared on Jun's face.

"The cake is delicious though," Zen commented, taking a bite out of his peach cobbler.

A look of realization dawned on Jun's face. Zen must've found something that hinted that they were being watched and probably overheard.

The desire to chat dwindled with that knowledge, though he really doubted whether he found his sister or not would be useful information to whomever would be listening into their conversation. Despite all of this, it hardly took away from Jun's enjoyment of his piece of cake and cup of coffee.

Zen opened his mouth, but a loud bang stopped whatever he'd wanted to say. They shared a look and Jun turned his head to look backwards, just in time to see Minako coming out of the kitchen. A warning scowl and glare replaced the previous sweet and bright smile.

"Grab her, Ami-chan, and whatever you do, _don't_ let her contact Rei-chan," Minako hissed at someone before she slammed the door shut.

She froze when she saw both Zen and Jun staring in her direction, but a millisecond later, the familiar sunny smile was back on her face.

"Sorry, our chef is having a bad day," she said, waving her hand towards the door.

A cordial smile slid onto Jun's face, and he gave her a nod as if he believed what she'd said.

"I assume you'll be in for a worse day if _Rei-chan_ appears then," Zen said.

Minako laughed, and for the first time since Jun had met her, he thought he saw a crack in the façade she had been holding up.

"Let's just say, I really like this café and would rather not have to face the risk of having it burnt down," she answered.

For some reason, Jun didn't feel like she was joking.

~-0-~


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N** : Starting from this chapter, artwork will be added on the AO3 version of this fic. Check out the awesome artworks by teamvanessacloud over there, guys!

~-0-~

**Chapter 2**

Despite their suspicions about the little café, it was hardly enough to keep Zen away from the delicious baked goods and excellent drinks. Besides, they were residing in Crystal Tokyo right now, and other cafés might've already caught wind of who were former rebels and needed constant supervision.

Not that Jun blamed Zen. He himself had already visited Old Oak Tree a couple of times within the last two weeks.

He was so accustomed to the bubbly mask on Minako's face that the day he witnessed it shatter came as a complete shock to him.

The rain came out of nowhere and Old Oak Tree was just around the corner.

"Good afternoon, Jun-chan!" Minako chirped from the register. She peered through the window. "Big rain, eh?"

"To think that the weather forecast said it was supposed to be clear skies today," Jun sighed.

Minako shrugged. "At least that's one thing that would never change."

Jun raised an eyebrow at her.

"Always assume the weather forecast is lying to you," Minako replied with a wink, causing Jun to laugh.

"I suppose I can't argue against that."

"So … would you like anything while you wait?" Minako asked. "We have your favorite apple cinnamon cake today."

After ordering a slice of cake and a cup of coffee, Jun went over to a table near the window and took a seat.

He wasn't certain what caught his attention in the first place. By the time his mind registered that he was staring, the man with long platinum blond hair had already crossed the street. A soft jingle alerted Jun that the man had entered the café.

For some unknown reason, Jun's eyes flickered over to the counter, where Minako had been standing moments before. The platinum blond-haired man soon walked into Jun's line of sight. Though Jun was, by no means, a short man, he could tell that the man easily towered over him. The stranger wore a simple button down shirt and black slacks, yet Jun felt that there was nothing simple about him. Just his mere presence demanded attention.

Silver eyes narrowed ever so slightly when they met with Jun's gaze, and Jun thought he saw recognition flit across that indifferent gaze. Before he could be certain, however, the door to the kitchen swung open, and one long-haired blonde appeared, a bag of what Jun presumed to be coffee beans in her arms. The sunny expression on her face flickered when her eyes landed on the stranger.

The stranger looked towards Minako, and that was when Jun let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

"What are you doing here?" Minako demanded, her eyes on the stranger.

Her voice was low, and Jun had to strain his ears to hear what she was saying.

"When are you going to let me see him?" the man asked.

Minako's lips curved upwards into a smile as a steely glint appeared in her eyes. It was an expression that was both so out of place _and_ well-suited on her that it caused a shiver to go down Jun's spine—it was a look that Jun hoped would never be directed towards himself.

"When you prove yourself to be trustworthy," she replied, her voice much calmer than her expression.

The answer caused the man to stay silent as Minako proceeded to prepare Jun's order. Jun almost thought he was going to silently stand there until Minako changed her answer.

Just as Minako passed by the stranger, however, the silver-eyed man grabbed her arm.

_That is **not** a good idea._

Just as that thought flashed through his mind, the lights flickered, almost as if they were going to go out any second, and the door to the kitchen slammed open with a loud bang, causing Jun's eyes to snap over to the figure that appeared at the doorway.

The loud roar of thunder outside should've surprised Jun, but for some reason, it _didn't_ , almost as if he'd anticipated it the moment the tall brunette appeared.

The stranger didn't so much as look at the brunette, opting to keep his eyes on Minako instead.

"Let go," Minako said, her voice soft but authoritative.

"You can't keep me away from him forever," the stranger said.

Minako's lips pulled into a derisive smile as she tilted her head to one side. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that a challenge?" she asked, her voice poison-sweet.

The stranger laughed, a bitter tone that pierced Jun's eardrums and slashed a wound somewhere deep within him, though he had no reason why.

"Am I in a position where I can challenge you, _Aino-san_?" he asked, sarcasm lacing her surname. "Didn't you already destroy that possibility a thousand years ago? Didn't you and your sisters already burn every possible way back for me the day after I arrived at your Princess's doorstep?"

"Don't you dare blame this on me!" Minako hissed. "You know what you did. And need I remind you that you didn't do it once or twice, but three times!"

"Three?"

"... Fine. But don't act like twice is anything to laugh about. You're lucky we didn't—"

She abruptly stopped, her gaze flickering over to Jun as if she just remembered he was there.

The stranger followed her line of sight, and a slight frown appeared on his face. "Sit down, Jadeite."

As if in a haze, Jun followed his order.

To be honest, he couldn't even remember when he'd stood up. Maybe it was the moment when the stranger grabbed onto Minako's arm, but it felt more like the moment when the tall brunette appeared. Logic told him that he should be siding with Minako, but for a split second, he was ready to fight alongside the stranger.

He was in so much confusion that he didn't quite register when the man left. However, he did snap out of his stupor soon enough to catch the contemplative stare that tall brunette shot him before disappearing into the kitchen again.

Unfortunately, it took him until nighttime, when he was lying in bed, that something crossed his mind, something that he should've thought of earlier: Who was Jadeite?

~-0-~

To say he had been scared off by what happened at Old Oak Tree would be a lie, but he had to admit that he was both subconsciously _**and**_ consciously avoiding that small shop for the next couple of weeks.

There were too many questions he had about what happened that day, but he doubted those who were involved would tell him anything even if he did ask.

He didn't immediately tell Zen what happened, though he didn't know why, and thankfully, he managed to rectify that mistake two days later, when the latter caught him staring off into the distance.

A light scowl appeared on Zen's face after he'd wheedled the full story out of Jun. "Well, we _did_ notice something strange about the café in the first place."

Jun nodded. For a short moment, silence took over as the two young men reorganized their thoughts.

"He …" Jun said, causing Zen to look up at him. "That stranger … he called me 'Jadeite'."

Zen stared at him for a heartbeat before saying, "Sounds like a good name for you."

"I'm being serious," Jun said.

Zen shrugged. "So am I." He paused as if to choose the right words before saying in a soft voice, "It sounds … kind of familiar."

"It does," Jun replied. "I … didn't even realize he called me that name until I came home, almost as if I'm used to people calling me that name." He ran a hand through his hair. "Am I going nuts?"

"Well, that would be a bit anticlimactic, surviving the Great Freeze only to end up going insane," Zen answered, raising an eyebrow.

Jun rolled his eyes before leaning back into the couch he was sitting on. A frown appeared on his face when he took a closer look at Zen's face.

"What's wrong with you? You look like you haven't slept for days."

"That's because I haven't," Zen said offhandedly.

It wasn't the first time Jun had seen Zen stay up for nights, and the strawberry-blond usually managed to look impeccable despite the lack of sleep. But judging from the bags under Zen's eyes, this was probably one of the longest streaks.

"Why?"

As if to answer his question, a low screech came from Zen's bedroom. The strawberry-blond jumped up from his spot and rushed into the room. Confused, Jun got up and followed him.

That was when he noticed that Zen's room had become something that reminded Jun of those command centers in old time movies where they had multiple computer screens each displaying different things.

"What did you do to your room?" Jun asked.

"Shhhh …" Zen mumbled offhandedly as he concentrated on typing commands into the computer.

It looked like it would be a while, so Jun went out, grabbed a chair to sit on, and went back inside, careful to not tug on any cables or break anything.

After around thirty minutes, Zen let out a little cheer.

"Ha! Beat that, Mercury," he said, fist-pumping the air.

"Mercury? As in Sailor Mercury?" Jun asked, blinking at the screens in front of him.

Zen shrugged and rubbed his eyes. "I'm actually not sure if it's her, but I'd heard rumors that she's behind the intelligence and computer systems of Crystal Tokyo … or basically anywhere where they have bases, which is probably the whole world."

"So you're in a hack war with someone who may or may not be one of the guardians of the Queen? Why?" Jun asked, alarmed.

"They're spying on us anyway. Just thought it would be fair to return the favor and annoy them for a bit," Zen replied. "And it's not like I'm doing anything to them."

"We were part of the rebellion. They would see most of what we do as illegal. Not to mention hacking into government systems is probably still illegal in the first place," Jun said.

"Who told you I'm hacking into the government system?" Zen asked, casting him a look.

"You're not?"

"Of course not," Zen scoffed. "I'm bored, but it doesn't mean I need the Sailor Senshi breaking down my door yet."

"Thankfully," Jun replied wryly. After a pause, he asked, "Then what are you doing?"

Zen tilted his head to the right side, indicating the screen there.

"You're spying on Old Oak Tree?" Jun asked, surprised when he saw what was on the screen.

"Well, when you put it that way," Zen said.

"So you saw what happened that day?"

Zen frowned. "You mean when that stranger entered the café? No, unfortunately, the person on the other side blocked me at that moment—"

He stopped in his words, his eyes taking on a faraway look at that moment, almost as if something just dawned on him.

A thought flashed through Jun's mind, and he stared at Zen. "You don't think—?"

"You gotta be kidding me," Zen said, scrunching up his face. "Minako-san does not remind me of Sailor Mercury."

"That's not the point, Zen," Jun sighed.

"No, it is," Zen contradicted. "You were wondering if those girls at Old Oak Tree are the Sailor Senshi, weren't you? Judging from the way she held herself, I wouldn't be surprised if Minako-san was a Sailor Senshi, but she just doesn't seem like Sailor Mercury to me."

"Should that _really_ be what we're concentrating on?" Jun asked.

"Okay, so maybe Mercury doesn't care that I've hacked into their system at Old Oak Tree and only blocks the connection when something she deems important happens," Zen said with a pout. "I'm guessing something happened during that confrontation between that guy and Minako-san that Mercury doesn't want us to know."

"That's … that's not really what I'm talking about either," Jun said, a bit exasperated.

"Then what are you talking about?" Zen asked.

"I'm—" Jun stopped and then sighed. "You know what? I don't even remember anymore now."

Zen snorted. "You worry too much."

"You don't worry enough. You always go into these things, thinking that you'll find a way to get out of trouble when the time calls for it, some way somehow," Jun grumbled.

"Cheer up and quit acting like my grandfather," Zen said, whacking him on the head with a notepad.

"When you stop acting like a child," Jun retorted, batting away the notepad when Zen attempted to whack him with it again. At that moment, he remembered what his worry was. "Why do you think the Sailor Senshi would set up a café though?"

"As a hobby?" Zen asked with a shrug. "It's right across from the search department anyway, so maybe it's easier for them to track former rebels that way?"

"Don't they have more important things to do?" Jun questioned with a frown.

Something just seemed off about the whole thing, though he couldn't put his finger on what. For some strange reason, the image of the silver-eyed stranger kept popping up in his mind, as if it were trying to nudge him in the right direction.

"Who knows?" Zen yawned. "I'm going to sleep for a while. If you want to spy on Minako-san—"

"Pray tell, why would I want to spy on her?" Jun asked.

Zen shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe you've developed stalker needs after getting attracted to her pretty looks."

"She's pretty, but she's not my type," Jun said with a frown.

Zen shrugged again. "Whatever. If you want to spy on Old Oak Tree, go ahead, but don't touch anything. Close the door on your way out."

"If you have that blaring screech signal thing, why didn't you get some sleep during the downtimes?" Jun asked.

Zen looked thoroughly offended. "Go to sleep while I'm at war? That's for the weak. Do I look like the weak?"

Jun finally rolled his eyes. "You literally just said you're going to sleep."

"That's because I now know that she hardly takes me seriously," Zen said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. "A new battle plan has to be enacted and I can't do that until I get enough proper sleep."

Zen then shuffled over to the bed, crashed on it, and pulled the blanket over his head. Jun sighed and shook his head, hoping that his friend knew what he was doing and wouldn't bring the wrath of the Sailor Senshi down on all of them.

~-0-~

Autumn announced her arrival with the changing of colors of the leaves, but the heat of summer had yet to fall back. In fact, it seemed even warmer during daytime, though the nights were much cooler.

It had been months, and Jun had yet to receive any information from the search department. Surprisingly, when Jun brought this up in front of Zen, the latter didn't answer with something snarky. Then again, Zen still sported bags under his eyes.

"Perhaps you can go check with them," Zen had muttered something as he shoveled ramen into his mouth.

Jun momentarily wondered if Zen even knew what he was eating.

"Maybe there were too many people and they just didn't get to you yet. Or maybe they need more information," Zen said with a shrug as he wiped his mouth with a tissue and placed the ramen container on the table. "Sometimes, you just need to nag at people to get them to do their work."

Jun bit down on his tongue to avoid making another sarcastic comment about their "utopia". Instead, he peered at Zen.

"I thought you'd already figured out that they're not blocking you whenever nothing important is going on. Why do you still look like you're about to keel over and faint any second?"

Zen paused for a split second before he waved his hand. "I'm just working on a project. I'm fine."

Jun frowned and stared at him.

Picking up the chopstick wrapper, Zen crinkled it up before throwing it at Jun. "Stop looking at me like I'm about to die. You're not getting rid of me any time soon."

To be fair, Jun couldn't even be sure why he'd gotten so close with Zen. Everything seemed to fall into place so naturally that he hadn't even given it much thought. While Jun was friendly and polite with everyone, he knew he had trust issues that needed working out. However, he didn't even hesitate for a moment before saying "yes" when Zen offered to come with him to Crystal Tokyo and share an apartment. He couldn't remember the last person he'd placed so much trust into without a second thought.

He didn't think he was even this close to his family members.

But the possibility of Zen dying on him wasn't what Jun was worried about. Jun couldn't help but feel that Zen was hiding something, though he wasn't sure what.

"Now seriously, instead of staring at me, it's probably in your interest to go check up with the search department sooner than later later," Zen said before shuffling into the kitchen to throw out the leftover soup from the ramen and stopping any more questions that might come from Jun.

~-0-~

_Surrrre, Zen. Checking with the search department would be oh so helpful._

Jun turned his head and gave the search department behind him the stink eye. Both the receptionist and the "specialist" had been utterly unhelpful and had given him no further information about his sister, only asking him to be patient and wait for another two weeks.

If he _hadn't_ been patient, he would've burnt down the building.

Heaving a sigh, he waited for the light to turn to cross the street when the wooden sign bearing the words "Old Oak Tree" caught his eyes. His gaze never left the small shop as he crossed the street until he was standing in front of the door. Minako was nowhere in sight, and he supposed she was in the kitchen, running some errands. Nonetheless, if anyone were to ask him, he would bet that his movements were monitored by the spy system they had in place.

He wondered if it were the same person who was involved in the hack battle against Zen.

Was it really Sailor Mercury? Or someone else?

Taking one last look at the shop, he continued to walk down the street, away from the café.

The temperature was cooler today, and perfect for a light stroll, so Jun decided to walk back home, enjoying the view along the way.

Lines of maple trees decorated the streets, and though the leaves had already turned an awesome shade of red, there were hardly any fallen leaves on the ground. Jun momentarily wondered if there were people hired to sweep the streets, though he hadn't seen any so far.

It reminded him a bit of old movies, or maybe even dramas, and in the distant future, he would recall this scene and come to the conclusion that he might remember this moment until the day he died.

He wasn't even quite sure what had refracted the sunlight into his eyes, causing him to look away, but the moment he looked up again, there she was, almost as if she'd appeared out of nowhere.

_I know her._

_I don't know her._

_I've seen her before._

_I would remember if I'd seen her before._

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/gp/184713977@N03/KERXnB)

Jun didn't have perfect memory, but if there were one thing he prided himself in, it was his ability to remember a person and never forget it. Right now, he couldn't decide whether he'd seen the beautiful, raven-haired woman in front of him before or not.

He could only watch as she walked past him, as if she hadn't noticed him at all.

And it was absurd, but at that moment, he had the strangest feeling that she should know him.

That she _did_ notice him.

But she just chose to neglect him.

A dull pain erupted in his chest.

He whirled around before he realized he didn't know what to say to her. He didn't even know why he'd turned around. She was just a stranger—it didn't matter what his instincts were telling him. He had no reason to want to call out to her.

Had it been under other circumstances, he would've marveled, even laughed, at the urge that rose in him—the urge to shout after her.

The urge to act in a childish manner that was far more Zen's style than his. To approach her and wave his arms above his head for her to just _notice_ him.

Instead, he watched as she entered Old Oak Tree, his body as still as if his feet were stuck to the pavement.

~-0-~

_He walked through the white-pillared hallway, his hand gripping firmly to the sword that hung on his side._

_It wasn't his first time here on the moon, yet there were still things that surprised him regardless of how many times he'd been here._

_The land was a lot quieter than he was used to. Perhaps it was because there wasn't a natural atmosphere, or perhaps it was because there was some form of magic in the air. Nonetheless, it was just one of the many things Jadeite wasn't accustomed to._

_However, foreign didn't mean that it was necessarily bad. For instance, he'd never seen the stars as clearly as he did right now, and he was certain that there were ones he wouldn't have been able to see with the naked eye back on Terra._

_No wonder Nephrite jumped to his feet when Endy mentioned about visiting the moon tonight._

_His thought process was brought to a halt when a sharp "Who's there?" broke the silence._

_He turned around and found a woman—a Sailor, judging by her uniform—standing a few feet away from him. Too close. Much too close for it to be safe for him, if the rumors about their powers were real. And her posture and facial expression did little to reassure him that he wouldn't be chopped up into pieces if he said something that insinuated that his intentions were less than honorable._

_The small part of his brain that wasn't worrying about being killed then and there found comfort in the fact that at least Kunzite wasn't there to witness the scene. The fact that someone had snuck up on Jadeite without him noticing was enough for a berating of a lifetime, not to mention the punishment that might follow._

_Clearing his throat, Jadeite allowed a gentle smile to appear on his face, hoping that it would make him appear harmless enough to buy him more time with the green-eyed beauty standing in front of him._

_"I promise that I mean no harm. My name is Jadeite. I am one of Prince Endymion's Shitennou," he replied._

_Though the frequent meetings between the Moon Princess and Endy were to remain a secret, he recalled Serenity mentioning that her Sailors were in the know. He hoped that she'd remembered to mention to them that Endy had four personal guards._

_The hostility on the Sailor's face ebbed slightly after his straightforward answer, though a hint of suspicion remained._

_"I've never seen you before," the woman said, tilting her chin slightly upwards as if daring him to refute her words._

_Jadeite inclined his head. "This is, indeed, the first time I've visited."_

_"So you're here with the Prince," she said to which he nodded. "I thought it was supposed to be—"_

_Her sudden halt in words made him curious, and his interest was further piqued when she bit down on her lower lip, as if just catching on that she nearly let something slip. He maintained a look of polite attentiveness._

_"He got caught doing something … unknightly by none other than our leader, General Kunzite," Jadeite said._

_"... Unknightly?"_

_"Yes … such as stealing roses from his majesty's garden," Jadeite replied._

_To his surprise, a blush appeared on the Sailor's face, and a thought flashed through his mind._

~-0-~

The scene fogged, as if he'd been dumped into a pool of murky waters. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew none of this made sense, but his dream self seemed to know what he was doing.

His vision cleared and he was strung along the story in his dreamworld like a puppet on a string.

~-0-~

_They'd told him that the gravity on the Moon was different than on Earth._

_Occasionally that thought would linger at the back of his head, such as right now, while he watched the water fall down the pillars. He couldn't tell if the speed was any slower than waterfalls on Earth. He'd wondered before if it were because of magic, but to be honest, he had never been curious enough to ask._

_Technology and what not had always been Zoisite's forte, not his._

_Never mind the question of where the water was coming from. But at least the bioluminescent flowers in the nearby garden seemed to enjoy the irrigation they received from this water. The pale, glowing flowers had always delighted Jadeite, and the gardens had always been one of his favorite places on the moon._

_Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned around. The person in question immediately stopped in their steps when they saw him._

_"General Jadeite?"_

_"Good evening, Princess," he said, a gentle smile appearing on his face._

_"Are you following me?"_

_The question seemed to have slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself, judging by the frown and frustration that appeared on her face immediately after she spoke._

_A familiar pain uncurled in the pit of his stomach. He masked it away with a cordial smile—façades had never been a problem for him, but it didn't mean he hadn't been hurt by this short interaction._

_Nor did it mean that the pain would go away._

_"Of course not," he said in a quiet voice. "Your messengers left no doubt in regards to what your stance is in this matter."_

_She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself._

_He'd lifted the veil of courtesy by pointing out the fact that she'd sent the other Sailors to tell him what she felt he should know._

_The other Sailors had never mentioned that they had been sent by the beautiful woman standing in front of him, but Jadeite wasn't a fool. He could read between the lines just as well as he could tell from the discomfort the other Sailors had displayed when telling him about why the princess of Mars wasn't someone he should think about courting._

_"Had I irritated you so much that we'd arrived to a point where you can't even bear the sight of me?"_

_Wise men from his land warned others about how seeds of sin could be sown at any moments in time, and before you knew it, it would grow into a tree as tall as the skies, veiling the sunlight and covering one's eyes._

_He hadn't meant for things to become like this. Yet, the more he stayed away from her, the more he thought about her. The seeds of obsession grew like an untamed weed, and before he realized it, it had taken root in his heart, festering into an urge that haunted his waking moments as well as his dreams._

_"Is it too much for me to ask, to plead for the permission to just stay beside you?" he asked._

_He didn't need for anything to come out of this. He didn't even need her to harbor any amorous feelings towards him._

_Time seemed to stand still as they looked at one another. And suddenly, Jadeite felt desperate as he drank in the princess's features, from her silk-like raven-black hair to her violet eyes, almost as if it would be his last chance to do so._

_The light from the flowers cast a gentle glow on her face, and he thought he saw sadness on her face._

_"Yes, it is too much," she said, her voice as cold as ice and shattering any illusions he might've had. "Most people are the same. Once you've given them an inch, they would expect to be given a mile, if not more. I'd rather have the problem nipped at the bud. I can never reciprocate your feelings and … it is becoming a burden to me. Please. Do not come near me anymore."_

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to NerysDax and ff9moonie for beta-ing this chapter! Thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Huge thanks to casablancalilies for commenting!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Jun didn't think he was a perfect person.

To be honest, he had a lot of faults and problems that he knew he should work on. For instance, he knew he had a lot of pent-up anger that he should probably release in a timely manner in a way that was healthy and harmless, lest it exploded on an unsuspecting bystander one of these days.

However, he never thought of himself as someone who would be so obsessed with another person to the point of scaring them off.

Then again, he'd never thought that he was crazy enough to _dream_ about a stranger whom he'd only met once and hadn't even talked to before.

Never mind a detailed dream so real that it could almost be a memory.

Therefore, the dream became somewhat of a source of embarrassment for Jun, something he'd decided he would never tell anyone else.

Since the search department had told him to give them two weeks and with Zen locking himself up in his room presumably to continue his hack battle, Jun was left with nothing to do. He hadn't searched for a job since he'd thought he would wait until he found his sister and moved back to their hometown; it felt a bit irresponsible for him to find a job only to keep it for a short period of time. Luckily, their current government provided monetary and medical support amongst other things for its people to help them ease their way into the new era. In combination with possessions that could be salvaged from before the Great Freeze, most people were getting by relatively well—though Jun wondered how the possessions managed to last that long and if they had been recreated through magic from their Queen and King.

Visiting Old Oak Tree was out of the question for the moment, since a part of him was still subconsciously avoiding the place, though he himself wasn't too sure why.

As if there were an invisible hand pushing him, his idle walk around Crystal Tokyo took him in the direction of Hikawa Shrine one day. It had been weeks since he'd met the old man, but the latter occasionally appeared in his mind, as if he were a long-lost friend. Jun wasn't even quite sure why he felt an attachment to the old man, to the point that he'd actually looked up the address for Hikawa Shrine during his spare time, as if he were preparing to go there one day.

And he did.

Well, at least, he was at the bottom of the hill that led to Hikawa Shrine right now.

Would the old man be surprised by his appearance? What if the old man had only asked him to come to Hikawa Shrine out of kindness? What if he actually wished that Jun would never go to the temple? Would Jun cause inconvenience for the old man? What about the other people in the temple? Would his appearance cause trouble?

He didn't know how long he stood there before he took the first step, but he did acknowledge that the steps afterwards were much easier. The path up to the temple was a quiet one, and if anything, the soothing atmosphere helped Jun calm down and become more at ease.

Much too soon, he stood under the arch leading to the temple. Two crows stood on top of the arch, staring down at him as if they were somehow analyzing him. He didn't know why, but he gave them a polite smile, as if they were _humans_.

Before he could contemplate on that thought, a familiar voice spoke up, the jovial voice traveling across the stretch of space between the actual temple and the archway.

"You've come!"

Jun could've sworn he'd never seen someone as old as the old man move so fast. One second he was almost twenty feet away and the next he was standing next to Jun.

"I was wondering when you would show up," the old man said, grabbing him by his arm. "Have you ever volunteered at a temple before?"

Jun could only shake his head dumbly.

"Well, good chance as any to learn then," the old man said, pulling him into a room and shoving a pile of clothes for him to change into.

Jun had no idea why he didn't just ignore the old man. He wondered how other people would've reacted in such a situation. Would they have stayed and helped out at the temple? Or would they have gotten up and hightailed out of there, thinking that the old man was just another crazy fellow.

Instead, Jun found himself obediently changing into the temple clothes and working as a volunteer at Hikawa Shrine. The old man beamed at him so many times throughout the day that Jun almost wondered if smiling was his default expression.

The experience was much more soothing than Jun had thought it would be. Tension left his shoulders, and a rock he hadn't known that had been on top of his heart was lifted as the hours went by. Much too soon, his shift was over.

"Jun-chan?" the old man called out from the tearoom just as Jun walked past it to get to the changing room.

"Yes, Ojii-san," Jun said with a smile, using the title the old man had insisted he used.

"Join me for a cup of tea?" the old man asked, raising the teacup in his hand.

"Sure," Jun replied, sitting down on the steps in front of the tearoom before receiving a cup from the old man.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes, I did," Jun answered, taking a sip out of the tea cup.

"Good," the old man said. "Feel free to come here whenever you feel troubled, Jun-chan."

Jun didn't immediately answer him. Instead, he turned the teacup around in his hand a couple of times before he opened his mouth again.

"I wouldn't bring trouble to you?" he asked.

He knew he kept his voice calm and collected. However, he also knew he failed in keeping out a sense of hope. He was usually much better at this, capable of keeping emotions hidden behind a polite, gentlemanly smile. Even when he was livid, most people wouldn't catch on unless he wanted them to. His good looks only served to promote the idea that he was sincere, kind, and absolutely harmless while he gathered important information before moving in for the kill. He had no idea what career would have required that skill set, but he was pretty certain "temple boy" wasn't exactly on the list.

Nonetheless, he couldn't deny that he liked it here. He liked the moments when the old man would check up on him, to see if he needed help with a particularly sticky customer. He liked the short amount of time when the old man would beckon him to just look at the red leaves falling to the ground while wondering about life and its problems.

He wanted to stay.

Ever since the day he'd woken up from the Great Freeze, he had been certain that he would go back to his hometown after he'd found his sister, but now, he wasn't so sure any longer.

"Of course not," the old man said, patting him on the shoulder. He then leaned over and whispered conspiratorially into Jun's ear, "I overheard a couple of young girls and boys whispering that they would have to come here again soon to see the 'handsome temple boy'."

Before Jun could answer, the old man looked up.

"Ah, Rei-chan! You're home," the old man said, putting down the teacup and giving a little wave.

Jun followed his gaze, and for a moment, he felt like the whole world stopped around him.

The light breezes were no longer tickling the back of his hand and brushing against his locks of hair. He could no longer hear the merry chirps of birds from the trees or the rustling of stray fallen leaves. The soft murmurs of cars passing by from down the hill ceased to exist. He couldn't see the beautiful trees surrounding him filled with red, yellow, brown, and orange leaves. He'd forgotten that the old man was still sitting next to him.

All he saw was the elegant woman with long black hair and violet eyes staring back at him, the same beauty he'd seen on the street a few days ago. Surprise flashed through her eyes, and though she kept her face expressionless, Jun was certain he hadn't imagined it. That, in and of itself, made him wonder if she remembered him from that day on the street when they crossed paths or if it were because she actually knew about him from somewhere else.

After all, she did enter Old Oak Tree.

While he had no evidence, he somehow knew that she must be friends with Minako and those who worked at the café.

"Jii-san," Rei said, her eyes snapping over to the old man, and Jun thought he heard reprimanding in her tone of voice.

The old man made a noise indicating for her to continue talking.

"How many times do I need to tell you that it's rude to force people to volunteer here?" Rei demanded.

Something flashed through the old man's eyes, but he didn't immediately answer. The two of them stared at one another for a couple of minutes until a look of discomfort appeared on Rei's face, and she opened her mouth to speak.

Before she could do so, the old man was bawling in Jun's arms.

"Jun-chan, look at my granddaughter! My own granddaughter, scolding an old man like me, just because I'd asked someone to volunteer here," the old man cried.

"I … I don't mind," Jun said quickly, attempting to appease the old man.

However, the old man continued as if he hadn't heard what Jun said. "To think that she'd convinced me to go down into the bunkers with them so that I wouldn't have to be revived again when the Great Freeze ended, to think that it was because she wanted me to suffer less! And then to hear her yell at me like this!"

"Jii-san …" Rei sighed, rubbing her temples.

"It's okay, it's okay!" the old man suddenly said before grabbing Jun by the hands. "Jun-chan!"

"...Yes?"

"You won't look down on me, will you?" the old man asked. "Do you think I'm too old? Do you think I'm a burden, too?"

"I never said you were a burden, Jii-san," Rei said, her voice much calmer than it had been moments before.

_Oh, she didn't throw a tantrum._

That thought in and of itself surprised him. He didn't know Rei that well, so who was he to guess how she would react in the situation? However, he couldn't get it out of his head that she _would've_ and _should've_ gotten angry—or at the very least, annoyed—at the situation.

Her violet eyes flickered over to him for a split second before they drifted over to the old man again.

"I just don't want you to go through unnecessary troubles just for things to not work out the way you've intended for them to," she said.

He didn't know what she was talking about, but for some reason, discomfort settled in the pit of his stomach, and he was somehow reminded of the dream he'd had of her.

But that was absurd. It was just a dream.

"It is best to nip the problem at its bud."

An ice-cold feeling went down Jun's spine. Details of the dream had escaped him, but for some reason, the things the woman in his dream had said were imprinted inside his mind.

He didn't know if it were coincidence that Rei had said something so similar to the princess of Mars from his dreams, but he did know that it caused distress and embarrassment to churn inside him, nearly making him vomit. The urge to run and hide tickled the back of his mind, while a small voice that suspiciously reminded him of Zen whispered that he never ran and hid from difficult situations.

Not to mention the fact that he had the distinct feeling that Rei didn't want him there. Of course, he didn't have any evidence; she hadn't even looked at him more than was needed, and he had no idea if this were the normal way she reacted to all of the volunteers the old man managed to rope in. Nonetheless, he had a gut feeling that she was specifically miffed to see him there. Later, he would wonder if it were an aftereffect from the dream he'd had about her, but at the moment, he really wanted to find a reason to get up and leave.

"Things are different now, Rei-chan," the old man suddenly said. "Even divination powers have glitches. You cannot expect to know the outcome beforehand."

Perhaps it was the sudden seriousness on the old man's face, but shock appeared on Rei's face, and she didn't answer.

"I …" Jun spoke up, causing both the old man and Rei to look at him. "I think I should get going. My roommate would be waiting for me."

Before the two of them could answer, he'd placed the tea cup back on the table, thanked the old man, and hurried over to the room where he had changed his clothes, the small voice inside his mind be damned. It was when he'd closed the door and leaned against it that he let out a long sigh.

It took him longer than usual, but in the end, he managed to change back to his own clothes. He was almost glad that he didn't see the old man or Rei when he walked past the tearoom. But he didn't see it as a sign to relax. In fact, he quickened his footsteps, almost too eager to leave Hikawa Shrine.

"Jun-chan."

He froze on the spot, his eyes lingering on the archway that led to the staircase before he slowly turned around to face the old man. A wobbly smile appeared on his face. He couldn't be certain if the old man noticed, due to the dark.

"You will come visit again, won't you?" the old man asked.

All of a sudden, Jun didn't know how to answer. Before he saw Rei, he would've been more than glad to promise the old man that he would visit again. Heck, he would've seen it as a gift from the gods. After all, despite that embarrassing dream, he couldn't deny that he was attracted to her.

He was hesitant now, and perhaps it showed on his face because the old man suddenly started sniffling.

"I knew it. Everyone always lies to me," the old man bawled into his hands. "And as if lying isn't enough, everyone always abandons poor old me. They always say they'll come back to visit, but they always break their promises, and now Jun-chan is doing the same—"

"I'll come back again," Jun said.

_I won't abandon you again._

That thought came unbidden to his mind, but before he could think too much about it, the old man stopped in his bawling and peered at Jun through cracks of his fingers.

"You … you will?"

"I promise," Jun replied.

The old man dropped his hands to his side, a wide smile on his face and no tear streaks in sight.

"Good. I'll see you again soon," the old man said with a little wave.

Jun stared at him for a moment before chuckling to himself.

"Alright," Jun conceded.

He was tempted to go back on his promise, but somehow, he knew he wouldn't.

"Be careful going home," the old man said before turning around and hobbling towards the temple.

"I will."

Jun turned around, and perhaps it was the wind, or perhaps it was an illusion created by the symphony of noises in the night air, but he thought he heard the old man mutter something as he headed towards the stairs.

_"I wouldn't want witches to carry off my apprentices again, would I?"_

~-0-~

_Mud. Shouting. Blood. Moaning. Random body parts. Crying._

_He couldn't even quite register where he was. He felt as the eyes he was looking through were and weren't his at the same time, as if he were a foreign spirit borrowing another's body. However, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was his body. Yet, he was feeling emotions that didn't belong to him; he was doing things he didn't really want to do, as if his body were following the commands of someone else._

_"General Jadeite." A minion knelt in front of him._

_"Well?" he demanded, the voice cruel enough to surprise himself, though his body didn't seem to register his emotions. "Where is the Princess?"_

_"We … we can't find her," the minion stuttered. "We are blocked at the gates because of the Sailor Senshi—"_

_The minion's words got cut off as a blast of energy sent him flying into the nearest pillar._

_"Useless idiots," Jadeite growled, lowering the hand that just sent out the blast of energy as he stalked forwards._

_"Where are you going?" a voice asked him._

_He turned around and looked at the strawberry-blond._

_"To make the Sailor Senshi pay for getting in our way," Jadeite said, his lips curving into a sadistic smile. "We also need to search for Endymion, don't we? Queen Beryl wants him alive."_

_"Oh?" Zoisite asked as a contemplative glint flashed over his eyes. "Say hi to Mercury for me then."_

_"Sure you don't want to say it to her yourself?" Jadeite asked, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword._

_Zoisite shrugged. "Or if you prefer to send her to me …"_

_For a moment, Jadeite wondered if it were because Zoisite had lingering feelings towards the Senshi of Wisdom._

_"To be honest, I rather think I still have a score to settle with Sailor Venus," Zoisite said off-handedly._

_Without meeting Jadeite's gaze, Zoisite turned around and sauntered in the opposite direction, leaving Jadeite with more suspicion than relief._

_Oh well. All of this would end after tonight anyway. All of them would be freed from the witches' spell._

_That thought was brushed to the far corners of his mind as he went forward in search of said witches. He thought he saw Nephrite battling with Sailor Jupiter. The distraction was enough for a breach of the gate; with Jupiter hindered by Nephrite, minions of the Dark Kingdom swarmed towards the Moon Palace._

_A couple of soldiers of the Silver Alliance—he really couldn't be bothered to identify from which planet they hailed from—tried to attack him but to no avail; they were no match for the dark energy running through his veins._

_Funny, he'd thought that it would've been easy to find the Sailor Senshi and the Moon Princess. After all, it wasn't the first time he was here. He should remember where the Princess's chamber was, but for some reason, it almost felt as if he'd forgotten some things.._

_Though then again … would the Princess be in her chambers? Perhaps the Sailor Senshi moved her elsewhere. Besides, it was difficult imagining the Princess sitting in her chambers while her kingdom was under attack, even if she herself couldn't fight._

_Irritation grew inside him as he failed to find the Princess or catch a glimpse of one of the other Senshi. He was almost tempted to go back and help Nephrite kill Jupiter._

_Assuming she wasn't already dead._

_He experienced his first sweet taste of victory when he located not one but two of the Senshi and their Princess in the Chamber of Prayer. Venus stood protectively in front of Serenity, one hand holding on to that chain of hers and seemingly ready to battle anyone who dared to try and harm their Princess. Mars stood a couple of feet in front of them, her face as indifferent and cold as always._

_He would enjoy killing them._

_Without saying anything, he sent a beam of dark energy towards them, but it was stopped two feet away from where Mars was standing._

_"Mars," Venus called out, her eyes narrowing._

_"Take Serenity to safety. I'll handle him," Mars said._

_"He's not—"_

_"I know," Mars said._

_Her tone of voice was laced with bitterness, and had Jadeite not known any better, he would've assumed that she was upset, or even disappointed, about something._

_"Our priority will always be Serenity," Mars said quietly._

_"Mars, I can't—"_

_Mars held up a gloved hand, stopping Serenity in her words. Turning towards the Princess, she said, "You still need to find Prince Endymion. He must be looking for you, too, and it'll be dangerous for both of you to search for one another while we are under attack." She paused for a short moment before adding, "Especially without them protecting him."_

_"I can't leave you here by yourself," Serenity objected._

~-0-~

The scene blurred, and Jun twisted his body underneath the bed sheets as if in protest, sweat clinging the T-shirt to his body, almost as if he knew what he would be shown next. He didn't want to see this. He didn't want to **_relive_** this—had he been awake, he would've found this term strange, given this was all a dream, wasn't it?

As it was, he could only watch the scenes as they were presented to him.

~-0-~

_A punch was thrown in his direction, one that he easily ducked away from._

_"Are you even trying?" Jadeite taunted. "You'll need to try harder, Mars, if you want to protect your little Princess."_

_Mars didn't answer, and they fought hand-to-hand for another couple of minutes before they broke apart. They stood merely five feet away from one another with neither one breaking a sweat as they eyed one another up, as if they were each searching for the perfect plan, the perfect sequence for attacking._

_The familiar cold expression on Mars's face made irritation flash through Jadeite's eyes, and he drew his sword._

_Violet eyes flickered over to the sword before landing on his face again. "I don't recall you being so quick to anger."_

_Jadeite gave pause, his breath catching in his throat for a split second before he uttered, "Then you don't remember me well enough."_

_Without waiting for her to say another word, he leapt forward, his sword aiming for her neck. He knew that attack wouldn't hit its target. Instead, the brunt of his strength went towards the shards of ice that he secretly created with his free hand. When he was close enough to Mars and certain about the position where she would be ducking away to, he allowed the sharpened ice pieces to fly towards her. Unfortunately, the attack only left Mars with a couple of minor wounds._

_However, Jadeite didn't stop there. With a backhanded swipe, he aimed for her waist this time instead._

_She jumped away again before she shouted, "Fire Soul!"_

_The attack burned away a Dark Kingdom minion who'd tried to sneakily attack her from behind while she was busy duelling with Jadeite._

_A small part of Jadeite's mind wondered why she hadn't bothered to use her fire attacks on him, but a much louder portion yearned for his sword to quench its thirst with her blood._

_When another minion tried to sneak up on her, Jadeite used that moment of distraction to slash his sword towards her again, this time summoning a wall of ice in the direction which she had jumped. A vicious grin appeared on Jadeite's face when she crashed into the wall, as he had expected._

_Before she could get up, he leapt forward again._

_This time, he didn't miss his mark._

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/gp/184713977@N03/1TxSKG)

_The sword sunk into her body like a knife cutting into butter._

_The brilliant color of red blossomed on her clothes, reminding Jadeite of the red roses that grew in the Golden Kingdom garden that was currently still in flames._

_He had expected hatred in Mars's eyes._

_But instead, after the initial shock, he saw regret and … was it relief?_

_She averted her eyes before she could be certain, looking in the direction Venus had taken Princess Serenity, though the two blondes were nowhere in sight any longer._

_"Serenity …"_

~-0-~

"JUN! JUN! WAKE UP!"

He was still screaming when he woke up. He didn't even realize his arms were flailing around until someone grabbed a hold of them.

"Jun, look at me! Look at me!"

It took a moment for Jun to realize that he was no longer there, no longer on the moon, no longer inside his dream. He was safely in his room, in Crystal Tokyo. On Earth.

_The Earth which you'd once helped destroy._

No, no, no. That wasn't true. It was just a dream.

But Jun didn't know why he felt so emotional because of a dream. He didn't know why the dream affected him to the point that he was still shaking. He didn't know why he felt the urge to kneel down and repent for what he—no, he refused to believe that Jadeite was him—for what that monster had done. Even if he was for some reason looking through the eyes of that monster and sharing his emotions.

"What did you dream about?" Zen asked softly. "I heard you screaming things from my room, so I came in, and saw you just … swinging your arms and legs around like you were trying to escape or fight or something."

Jun's breath hitched, and he immediately asked, "What did I scream about?"

_Please don't let it be about killing Sailor Mars or Serenity._

Zen had mentioned before that they might be being monitored, so Jun wouldn't even be surprised if there were surveillance cameras in their apartment. The last thing they needed was for the Sailor Senshi to knock down their door and murder them in their sleep for treason.

While Jun had been part of the resistance before the Great Freeze, he really didn't have too many thoughts about rising up against their King and Queen anymore. After all, the most important thing was finding his sister and getting their lives back to normal first. Not to mention the fact that living under Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion didn't seem to be as bad as how the rebels had thought it would be.

A strange look flashed through Zen's eyes. "It sounded like a foreign language."

Jun didn't immediately answer. He didn't feel much relief from that knowledge, since he was also fluent in a couple of other Asian languages.

"What did you dream about?" Zen asked again.

Jun rubbed his face with one hand as the events in the dream flashed over in his mind's eye. To be honest, he wasn't even sure how he should explain it to Zen. How did you tell someone that you've destroyed an unknown kingdom protected by the Sailor Senshi? How did you tell someone that they'd helped you?

That was the other strange thing about his dream. Zoisite didn't exactly look like Zen, but Jun had a gut instinct that Zoisite _was_ Zen under some kind of magical illusion that prevented others from knowing who he really was.

Just like he was ninety percent sure that Sailor Mars was Rei.

"Jun?" Zen called out.

Jun dropped his hand to the blanket before he looked at Zen.

"I …"

He paused again. A part of him wanted to tell Zen everything, but another part of him resisted, almost as if he didn't want to burden the younger man with what he was going through.

_It's just a dream._

_You know it isn't._

_It's not real._

Closing his eyes and shaking his head, he let out a nervous chuckle. "It's just a nightmare."

The silence that followed nearly choked Jun. It was as if he knew that Zen knew that he was lying. But Zen had no reason to think that, did he?

"Alright then," Zen finally said.

Jun's eyes flashed over to him. The expression on Zen's face was strange, to say the least. It looked like he was trying his best to hold back a pout but had done so rather unsuccessfully. If stares had voices, Jun was almost sure the message Zen's glare was trying to convey was "on your own head it is".

"If you need anything, feel free to holler. Again," Zen said, his lips curling up in distaste as he stood up and marched out Jun's room, slamming the door shut behind him.

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to Nerys for beta-ing this chapter! Huge thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Many thanks to Vchanny for commenting!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Jun couldn't say he didn't believe in coincidences. Zen probably knew the crazy equations or maybe even the accurate percentage for the possibility of coincidences to happen, but the strawberry blond was apparently still pissed off at Jun for not confiding in him. However, even without Zen's calculations, when the same thing happened twice, Jun believed that it would be naive to keep holding on to the belief that it was just a coincidence and not explore other options.

He wondered if the dreams he had regarding Sailor Mars was just a way for the gods or fate to tell him to stay away from Rei.

Jun wasn't a particularly superstitious person, but the two dreams and Rei's attitude towards him didn't help encourage him to visit Hikawa Shrine again. So, despite his promise to the old man, he didn't visit the temple for the next couple of days.

So it was with days of pent-up frustration that he found himself with as he stood inside the search department again.

If they still didn't give him any leads about Yua, he was very tempted to tear down the department, especially when most, if not all, of who he knew had already found their family members.

For once, he didn't bother to hide his feelings behind a friendly façade towards the receptionist, causing the latter to cower behind the desk under his icy stare.

"Yo-Yoshida-san … if y-you can come b-back in another t-two w-weeks—"

He clenched his fists and ground down hard on his teeth. Before he could speak, the lightbulb above the receptionist suddenly shattered, causing her to cry out in fear as she covered her head to block away the glass falling down on her. Jun narrowed his eyes and froze on the spot when he caught sight of what seemed to be traces of ice amongst the pieces of glass.

Images of Jadeite using ice during his fight with Sailor Mars flashed through his mind. He was so paralyzed by the emotions of fear and unease that it momentarily numbed his irritation towards the search department, and he hardly heard what the receptionist was saying.

He didn't know how long he stood there, but when he finally managed to drag himself out of the stupor, he found a woman with short blue hair and intelligent eyes looking at him. Both she and the receptionist were staring at him, so he could only assume that they'd said something and were now waiting for a reaction from him.

"I beg your pardon?"

The blue-haired woman gave him a patient smile before saying, "I am Mizuno Ami. Marui-san here just told me about your case. We're extremely sorry for the long wait, and we ask for your forgiveness. We have a couple of leads in regards to the whereabouts of your sister, but since we aren't certain yet, we do not wish to give anyone false hope before confirming that the leads are up-to-date and accurate."

Perhaps it was because he was still stunned by the frozen lightbulb pieces, or perhaps it was because of her demeanor and voice, but when Jun finally answered, it was with a much calmer attitude.

"I understand that the whole world is basically just waking up right now, and I get that there are plenty of people who are desperate to find their family members. But I've waited for months already. A week ago, everyone I know had already found their missing loved ones," he pointed out.

He had been hesitant about using harsh words towards anyone in the search department because he knew he had been part of the rebellion against the Queen and the King. He knew it was already generous of them to revive those who'd died in the Great Freeze, to give them a second chance, and to help them find their loved ones. Jun couldn't imagine someone who had a bigger heart than Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion, to forgive all those who had gone up in arms against their ascension to the throne. However, he couldn't help but feel as if there was something shady going on in the search department. It was absurd and could probably take a place in top ten conspiracies of the era, but he couldn't help but feel as if the people in the search department, or whoever they were reporting to, didn't want to return his sister back to him.

Ami paused for a moment, and now that Jun was in a much more normal state of mind, his mind immediately picked up the glint of uneasiness in her eyes.

_Definitely something shady going on then._

"We understand your worry. We can assure you that all information that we've received about your sister has been positive ones," Ami finally said.

"Forgive me for double-checking, but does this mean that you know the whereabouts of my sister but cannot tell me yet?" Jun asked, a pleasant smile on his face.

Ami's mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut. She hunched forward, seemingly typing something into the computer, though Jun couldn't help but feel that she was stalling for time to think of an answer for him.

He silently thanked the gods for letting him meet Zen. How else would he have managed to hone his skills for sharp statements to corner people?

"If … you can give us a few more days, we will probably be able to confirm all the information on our hands," Ami finally said.

She kept her eyes firmly on the computer screen.

After a short pause, she finally looked at him again and said, "We're extremely sorry for the long wait."

Maintaining the smile on his face, he gave her a short nod before turning around to leave the building.

"Mizuno-san, should I call Hikawa Shri—" Jun heard the receptionist saying right before he opened the door.

He didn't pay attention to what Ami said in order to disrupt the receptionist, but he truly felt that he deserved an award for acting as if he hadn't heard that piece of information.

Jun let out a long sigh after he stepped outside. To be honest, though he'd caught on to the possibility that they were withholding information about Yua's whereabouts, he still didn't know why they were doing this. So he had been part of the rebellion, but tons of other people who had found their family members already had been as well, and some of them had higher ranks than him. He supposed if he had tried harder, he probably could've climbed the ranks, but for some reason, he had never felt inspired enough to do so.

Truth to be told, he couldn't even remember why he'd joined the rebellion. Perhaps it was because most people from his town had joined it, or maybe it was because his grandfather had always expressed distrust towards the Sailor Senshi, even before the Queen and King's ascension. After his grandfather passed away and months after joining the rebellion, he couldn't bring himself to be as passionate as the other rebels had been in regards to pulling the Queen and King down from the throne.

But he had no idea how any of that would make him particularly different from other rebels. Unless …

_Unless the dreams are real._

That thought came unbidden to him, and despite the cool breeze that brushed against him, he felt cold sweat gathering on his forehead.

No, he was being ridiculous. The dreams couldn't be real. They just couldn't be. Sure, he'd heard of talks about people having powers to predict the future in their dreams, and there were even people who believed that dreams had meanings behind them. However, he'd never had divination powers before, and he didn't see any reasons for him to start having them now.

But then again, everything seemed to be connecting back to Hikawa Shrine. His inexplicable closeness to the old man, the possible whereabouts of his sister, _Rei_ …

Also, Rei's connection to Old Oak Tree …

As that thought passed through his mind, he subconsciously looked towards the shop, only to catch a glimpse of a familiar strawberry blond entering Old Oak Tree.

~-0-~

A soft jingle accompanied Jun's motion of opening the door to Old Oak Tree. It had been a while since the last time he had been here, and a sense of coziness wrapped itself around him the moment he stepped through the doorway.

Had circumstances been different, he would've enjoyed visiting this place as often as he had before he'd seen that silver-eyed man enter the teashop.

"Jun-san! Long time no see!" Minako chirped from behind the counter.

"Hello, Minako-san," Jun greeted with a smile.

He looked around the café before looking at Minako again, only to find her head down as she wiped the counter with a towel. For a split second, the feeling that she was doing this to prevent him from seeing her expression bubbled in his mind before he pushed it into the far corners of his mind.

If the dreams were real, he would need to keep his calm around anyone who could be a Sailor Senshi.

"Have you seen Zen-chan?" Jun asked.

Minako turned around to hang up the towel as she asked, "Zen-san?"

When she turned around, she had a sunny smile on her face, but Jun couldn't help but feel that it was far too brilliant to be true.

"Can't say I have," she continued to say. "It's been a while since the last time I've seen him. Were the two of you planning to meet up here?"

"I'm afraid not," Jun replied. "I thought I saw him from across the street."

"That's strange," Minako said, a frown sliding into place on her face as she placed a hand under her chin as if in thought. "The only perso—oh! Maybe you've seen our chef and owner instead, Mako-chan. She just walked in a few minutes ago. She's just a tiny bit shorter than Zen and has auburn hair, but you know, trick of the shine and all."

It took a short moment for Jun to realize that Minako had meant "trick of the light". His mind then drifted over to the person Minako had mentioned before he recalled an image of the tall brunette who'd come out of the kitchen the day he'd seen the silver-haired stranger.

Instinctively, Jun knew Minako was lying, but he decided against confronting her about it; after all, he didn't have any proof that she wasn't telling the truth. It wasn't like he could search Old Oak Tree.

"Maybe you're right," Jun said, tilting his head in an affirmative. "I guess I'll get going now."

"Sure you don't want to stay for a coffee?" Minako asked with a wink.

Jun shook his head. "Thanks, but I still have some errands to run."

"Such a shame then," Minako replied with a sigh before she smiled at him again. "Do visit again soon though! And bring Zen along with you. I haven't seen him in ages."

"Will do," Jun replied before giving her a wave.

He was just preparing to pull the door open when it got opened from the outside. The door slammed right into him, nearly knocking the wind out of him and breaking his nose. Thankfully, his reflexes were fast enough for him to move slightly to the side and backwards, so that the door crashed against his shoulder instead and a good part of the momentum had been stopped by the door stop. Nonetheless, he could feel a throbbing pain developing in the place where he'd gotten hurt.

"Oh my god, Jun-san, are you okay?" Minako asked, her eyes wide as she came out from behind the counter with genuine worry in her eyes.

Jun's "I'm fine" was thoroughly covered by another loud voice.

"Where is that woman!?"

A big bear of a man had appeared in the doorway. Jun wasn't a short man, but this man wasn't just taller than Jun; he was also much buffier. The blue-eyed, brown-haired man seemed to be built of nothing but muscle, and Jun reckoned the stranger could easily pick both Zen and him up at the same time and throw them across the room.

"Are you seriously going to ignore the fact that you've hurt someone? A customer, might I add?" Minako snapped at the man.

"Shut up and tell Kino to come out and face me like a man!" the man shouted before he looked at Jun. "I'm sorry for hurting you. If you can wait, I'll take you to the hospital after I deal with that stupid woman."

Minako snorted. "Sorry, can't do. And Makoto has no desires to become a man."

The stranger opened his mouth and snapped it back shut before snarling at Minako. The blonde, on the other hand, acted as if there wasn't a man growling at her like a bear and placed her attention back on Jun.

"Are you okay? Do you need to sit down for a while? I can get you an ice pack," Minako offered.

"I'm fine," Jun repeated with a smile.

He might get a nasty bruise on his shoulder, but it really wasn't that serious of an injury.

"I want to see Kino Makoto!" the stranger demanded, slamming his fist down on a table near the door holding brochures and making its legs creak.

Judging from how hard the door had slammed into Jun, it seemed like the man had held back on his strength so as to not break the table on the spot.

Minako raised her eyebrows as she allowed her eyes to trail over the table before she gazed at him again.

"If you break that, you better pay for it," she said.

"Well, I didn't break it, so tell her to come out," the man said, a stubborn expression on his face.

"No," Minako replied firmly.

For anyone else, the scene should've been shocking, since Minako could almost be considered tiny, standing next to the man, yet she showed no signs of being afraid.

_But she wasn't even afraid of the silver-eyed man, so why should she be afraid of this man?_

It was strange, the way Jun's mind categorized the silver-eyed man at a higher tier than the brown-haired man, since at first glance, most people would label the latter as much more dangerous. For some unknown reason, Jun didn't even doubt or question that conclusion for a single second: The silver-eyed man was much more lethal and stronger than the brown-haired man.

"If you don't tell her to come out—if you don't tell her to come out, I'll tear down her teashop!" the man threatened.

Jun raised an eyebrow at the stranger's declaration as amusement brought a smile to his lips—somehow, he believed that if the man had wanted to tear down the teashop, he would've done so by now.

The door to the kitchen slammed open, and the tall brunette Jun had seen the other day appeared, her hair flying in the air as if charged by electricity.

"Get out of here, Watanabe! You're not welcome," the brunette seethed.

Upon hearing that surname, Jun looked at the stranger with renewed interest. So this was the famous man who'd threatened to build a bridge to Crystal Tokyo with the bodies of ambassadors. Jun didn't know why Naoto was here, but he was pretty certain he hadn't heard any news about bridges made of corpses being completed.

Naoto clenched and released his jaw as if he were contemplating on the right words to say before he settled on, "You and me. Need to talk. Meet me in the nearby park after closing hours."

The brunette—Makoto—let out an incredulous snort before she eyed Naoto with derision. "You. Get out of my shop. Meeting in the park? Request denied."

"Woman!" Naoto shouted.

"Idiot!" Makoto shouted back and gave him a rude gesture before disappearing through the kitchen door once more.

Naoto's mouth dropped open, but instead of shouting again, he glared at Minako. After a few minutes, he said, "A cup of coffee and three slices of apple pie."

The change was so sudden that Jun blinked in confusion.

"There's no apple pie today," Minako replied in a bored tone of voice, as if she were accustomed to the strange turn of events that was happening in front of her.

"Three slices of chocolate cake then," Naoto said.

Instead of waiting for Minako to bring his order over to him, Naoto waited at the counter for Minako to hand the cake and coffee over to him before he stalked over to the eating area, apparently forgetting that he'd offered to take Jun to the hospital. Somehow, Jun didn't find this all that surprising.

Jun watched as the man took a seat facing towards the front of the store before inhaling the cake. Naoto was on his second slice before Jun found his voice again.

"I guess … I'll get going then," Jun said to Minako.

The blonde turned around to look at him, her eyes lingering on his shoulder for a second before saying, "You sure you don't want an ice pack for that?"

Jun shook his head. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Minako shrugged. "Alright then." Picking up a brown bag, she held it out towards him. "Here's a slice of apple pie on the house."

"I heard that!" Naoto shouted.

"It's your fault Jun-san got hurt anyway!" Minako replied.

"I'm fine. I mean, if Watanabe-san wants the apple pie …"

"He's here almost everyday. He won't miss it," Minako said, waving her free hand at Jun. "It's just a small gift as an apology for that uncivilized brute hitting you on the shoulder."

It would've seemed ungracious for him to continue declining the offer, so he took the brown bag with a "thank you", though it left Jun wondering even more about the whole relationship between Naoto and Makoto.

It was rude to pry, so Jun didn't ask.

"Come back again soon!" Minako said, waving at him as he left the teashop.

As he walked down the street filled with maple trees again, he decided on his next destination for the day. After all, the search department did provide him with a clue, hadn't they? If he waited for too long, who knew if they might change his sister's whereabouts yet again.

Perhaps he might even solve the mystery of his nightmares if he visited Hikawa Shrine again.

~-0-~

Jun sighed as he stared at the archway leading to the temple. He was more than halfway up the stairs, but he knew better than to mull over his thoughts at the top of the stairs. If anything, the old man would probably be on him the moment he stepped on the last step of the staircase.

For a moment, he wondered if he was making the right decision.

Was he acting on impulse? To some extent. While the receptionist at the search department had mentioned Hikawa Shrine, he had no evidence that she was even talking about Yua's case. She could've been asking about another missing person's case.

But it didn't hurt to try, did it?

And so, Jun walked up the rest of the stairs. As he had expected, the old man immediately spotted him when he stood under the archway.

"Jun-chan!" the old man exclaimed, grabbing him and burying his face into Jun's arm. "Where have you gone? I'd thought you abandoned me."

"..."

"At first, I was certain you would be back again! But I kept waiting and waiting … and you never came back!" the old man bemoaned.

For a short moment, Jun felt guilt uncurl in the pit of his stomach.

_Wait. Why am I feeling guilty?_

Jun couldn't bring himself to alert the old man of the fact that he hadn't exactly promised when he would be coming to Hikawa Shrine again, and so he decided to remain silent as the old man continued rambling.

"Rei-chan told me you're not going to come back, and I told her that you will come back! I told her that you made a promise to me, and I know you will keep your promise this time. But she told me that you're only going to stay here for a while. Jun-chan, are you really going to leave after a while? You're not going to stay in Crystal Tokyo?" the old man asked, staring at him with hopeful eyes.

"Yes" was such an easy word, yet once again, Jun couldn't say that to the old man. It was as if he could never find it within him to deny the old man, however ridiculous some of his requests might be.

It wasn't like the old man reminded him of his grandfather. Not to say that Jun hadn't been close to his grandfather; on the contrary, he'd always been close to his grandparents. But his grandfather looked nothing like the old man, and their personalities could be considered polar opposites. Yet Jun felt an inexplicable closeness to the old man.

"... I'll be staying for a while," Jun finally said.

"That means you're still going to leave one day," the old man said, almost a bit too dramatically. "And then you're going to leave me all alone. Then it's probably best if you don't come at all anymore. What use is your accompaniment going to be if you're going to abandon me one day? What am I going to do with all the happy memories that you would give me after you leave? Think about you and cry about it every day? No, no, no … you are much too cruel. Much, much too cruel to this old man—"

Jun stared at him, at a loss in regards to how to make him feel better. He didn't want to lie to the old man, promising to stay but leaving right after he found his sister. But as it was, it seemed like the old man wouldn't stop fussing unless he promised to stay in Crystal Tokyo. The thought of staying so near to the Sailor Senshi made Jun's skin crawl, not to mention the fact that if they were hiding his sister's whereabouts, they were obviously suspicious about him for some unknown reason.

"—First my wife left me, all alone with my sorrows and my young daughter. I'd thought that my daughter would've at least stayed with me a little longer, but no! She got married to the good-for-nothing and hardly ever came back. And then she left me Rei-chan, but Rei-chan is always so busy even before the Great Freeze, as if this temple is her hotel room. And now Jun-chan wants to leave me as well—"

"I'll stay," Jun finally relented.

To be honest, the promise surprised him as well, as if the words had slipped out his mouth without his permission.

The old man stopped in his monologue as he looked upwards towards Jun. "You will?"

Jun only hesitated for a split second before nodding his head with a noise of affirmation.

The old man cheered. "I knew Jun-chan would never abandon me! Do you want to move here and live in the temple? I still have extra spaces available. You can even choose your own room if you want."

"I'm living with a roommate," Jun replied apologetically.

"The more the merrier! Tell him to move in as well!" the old man offered, leaving Jun a bit dumbfounded. The old man proceeded to pull Jun into the temple while continuing to say, "And think about it! You'll be saving on those extra costs—"

"You can't possibly tell us to live here for free," Jun protested.

"Why not? As long as you help out in the temple, why can't you live here for free?" the old man asked. He then hugged Jun's arm. "And you'll be keeping a lonely old man company. That's more than enough of a payment."

The old man then took Jun on a tour around the shrine, showing him the two rooms where he and Zen could be staying in.

"Zen and I can share a room," Jun said weakly, not even sure why he was really considering accepting the old man's offer of living in the temple.

"Hm … if you want!" the old man said. "But if you two want some privacy, like when you bring girls back home—" The old man wiggled his eyebrows at Jun.

_Is that even allowed in a temple!?_

As if the old man knew what Jun was thinking, he tutted, "I meant if you wanted some privacy to speak sweet nothings with her, what were you thinking about?"

Despite Jun's quickly muttered "Nothing", a light blush colored his cheeks.

"It's not like there's not enough room, so you and your little friend can decide on whether you want to live in separate rooms or the same one."

It was later on, when he finally reached his apartment that he remembered that he'd forgotten to ask about Yua. He mentally berated himself for forgetting something this important, though to be fair, it was rather difficult for someone to think when the old man kept rattling on about something, and the old man had shooed him out of the shrine afterwards, telling him to pack his things up and move into the temple as soon as he could. As he waited for Zen to come home, he remembered another problem about living in the temple.

Rei was so going to burn him in his sleep.

~-0-~

Thankfully, Zen had gotten over his annoyance about Jun not confiding in him, though Jun wouldn't be surprised if the strawberry blond was simply biding his time before launching some form of strange revenge on him.

Zen had no problem moving into Hikawa Shrine; Jun supposed he shouldn't feel so surprised about that. Despite Zen's flamboyant ways, he wasn't fussy when it came to where he lived. As long as he was certain he looked good and was smarter than everyone else in the room, he didn't really care.

The move to Hikawa Shrine didn't take too long either, as both of them didn't bring too many things with them to Crystal Tokyo in the first place. Jun had been concerned about Zen's "evil mastermind computer lab", but Zen reassured him that he would just move the equipment during his free time.

Zen had insisted on two different rooms, and Jun would've felt extremely embarrassed on his behalf if the old man hadn't taken an immediate liking towards the strawberry blond. The old man had left Jun to unpack his belongings before whisking Zen off.

Jun sat on the floor, staring at his unopened bags, wondering what had taken over him. He didn't usually take favors from people—it was too hard and complicated to calculate how much one owed the person who had granted the favor. But here he was, sitting in Hikawa Shrine in his new room. He didn't even want to imagine the look on Rei's face when she realized they were now housemates.

He hoped she didn't think he was stalking her.

He wondered if he could tell the old man that they were sorry for the trouble, but they really shouldn't live in the shrine, but that might cause the old man to start bawling again. Jun really didn't think he could endure another one of those, both psychologically and emotionally.

He supposed Zen and he could live here until Rei decided to throw them out.

After unpacking his stuff, he went out to familiarize himself with the place. He'd noticed that there was another room to his left, though he wasn't sure to whom it belonged. He found it strange that Zen's room wasn't positioned next to his and was, instead, four doors down to the right side of his room.

He closed his eyes and allowed the peacefulness of the temple to settle on him, feeling the burden on his shoulders lighten slightly as he relaxed. Perhaps he really should take a leaf out of Zen's book and stop worrying so much.

Opening his eyes again, he walked towards Zen's room to see how the strawberry blond was doing. A soft chuckle left his lips when he saw the old man helping Zen set up the room and put away his stuff.

"Lazy bum," he muttered when he walked past Zen to help the old man.

"Not everyday I get taken care of," Zen shot back. "And Jii-san likes me."

"Of course I like you!" the old man said as he folded Zen's clothes one by one before putting them into the drawers. "I wished my daughter would've given me more grandchildren, but alas …"

"And I wished my grandfather was as wonderful as you are, too," Zen replied.

If Jun didn't hear the sincerity behind Zen's words, he would've liked to kick him.

"You're just going to spoil him, Jii-san, and he's already a spoiled brat," Jun said as he opened another one of Zen's bags.

"You're just jealous that Jii-san likes me more than he likes you," Zen said, sticking his tongue out at Jun.

Jun rolled his eyes while the old man laughed.

"I like both of you," the old man replied. He peered at Jun. "Are you finished with your room?"

Jun kept his eyes firmly on the bag in front of him. "Yeah."

Whacking him on the shoulder with an now-empty duffel bag, the old man said, "Liar!"

Zen sniffed. "See? Liars don't deserve Jii-san's love."

"I've unpacked my stuff," Jun protested.

"And stuffed them into the drawers without folding them?" the old man pushed on.

"..."

"You know him too well, Jii-san," Zen said.

"Oh, be quiet, you," Jun said, throwing a boxer at him.

"Hey! Stop throwing my clothes around!" Zen protested.

Their banter was cut short when the door suddenly slid open. Both Zen and Jii-san both fell silent and straightened their postures when they saw who it was. Though Jun had his back to the door, he didn't need anyone to tell him who was standing at the doorway.

Rei was home.

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my beta, Nerys! Many thanks to those of you who've read and left kudos! Huge thanks to casablancalilies for commenting!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

As if they were children caught with their hands inside the cookie jar, the old man, Jun, and Zen remained quiet. Rei didn't speak, and if anything, that made everyone all the more fidgety.

"Rei-chan, you're home," the old man offered feebly.

A shiver went over the old man's body, signalling Jun that Rei had probably cast her violet gaze on her grandfather.

It took another moment before the woman to finally open her mouth.

"You're letting them move in," Rei said, her voice as cold and indifferent as Jun had thought it would be.

"They … had no place to live," the old man said, and Jun's eyes snapped towards him.

A derisive snort left Rei's lips.

Jun heard the door closing behind him, but before it closed completely, Rei's voice floated towards them again.

"I hope you know what you're doing."

The old man stared at the door disgruntled. He looked at Zen and Jun before waving his hand at them.

"She'll come around," he said optimistically.

He was about to go back to folding Zen's clothes when he appeared to think of something. Jumping up from his spot with agile moves that would make most young people envious, he rushed out the door.

"I'll be right back!"

After he disappeared from sight, Zen and Jun shared a look.

"Should … we go help?" Zen asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jun mulled over the question before replying, "Not sure."

If the old man had something to talk about with Rei, Jun doubted the latter would want strangers, whom she obviously didn't harbor too many positive feelings towards, to hear what they were talking about.

"You didn't see the look on Rei-san's face though. I wouldn't want to be at the end of her fury," Zen said.

"I could imagine it," Jun said with a humorless laugh.

A small frown appeared on his face, wondering how Zen knew Rei's name, but then he brushed it off. Perhaps the old man had mentioned it in passing.

Jun's thoughts then went back to what the old man had run after Rei about. He hoped that it wasn't because of Zen and Jun living there, but if it were …

Jun stood up, so suddenly that it startled Zen.

"I think I'll go and make sure everything's alright," Jun said.

Zen gave him a nod before standing up, too. "I'll go with you. I mean … if she doesn't want us here, we haven't told the landlord anything yet, and we can still move back to our apartment."

Jun smiled at him. "Thanks."

Zen rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

Giving Jun a whack on the back of his head, Zen walked forward in the direction towards Jun's room. Jun was about to ask him how he knew where Rei and her grandfather had gone before his eyes landed on the doors to Zen's room. With the paper doors, of course Zen would've seen the direction they had gone.

Not to mention the fact that they could already hear voices speaking in a small distance. Jun had thought that it was from his room, but when they got closer, he realized that the sounds were coming from the room on the left side of his.

"—think you're taking her? You can't keep doing this to the poor girl!" the old man was saying.

Zen placed a finger on his lips, motioning for Jun to keep silent as they slowed down their footsteps to avoid letting the people inside hear them. They'd even purposely stayed in front of Jun's room, so that they wouldn't see shadows on the paper doors. Thankfully, the old man had left the door of the other room open, so they could hear quite clearly what was being said.

Not that the old man was keeping his voice down anyway.

"She needs her family. You can't keep—"

"I _am_ her family," Rei said.

"Not anymore," the old man retorted. In a gentler voice, he continued, "You can't keep clinging on to your previous life like this, Rei-chan."

"... Jii-san—"

"You're not the only person in this temple who has divination powers, Rei-chan. Where did you think you inherited them from?" the old man asked.

Rei either didn't answer or said something too softly for Zen and Jun to hear.

"You have to let go of what happened in your previous life," the old man said.

It took a short moment before Rei spoke, "You don't know what you're asking me to do, Jii-san."

"You're afraid," the old man said.

"I'm not—"

"Yes, you are. Not for the reason most people think you are, but fear is fear. Different reasons for it doesn't make the fear itself any different, and you are running away because of your fear."

"I'm not running away," Rei denied.

"Then why are you hiding away from him?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are," the old man said. "You're afraid that the same thing will happen again. You think that if you stay away from him, things wouldn't repeat themselves—"

"You don't understand, Jii-san—"

"He's my student, Rei-chan," the old man said, his voice firm. "I know him, probably better than you do. He'll do fine this lifetime."

Rei paused before saying, "You don't know that for sure."

"I don't know for sure, but I trust him," the old man said. "Don't you realize that things are different now? He could've climbed the ranks in the rebellion, but he didn't. None of them did. Or at least not willingly."

"Jii-san … how much do you know?" Rei asked.

"Enough to know what is bothering you," the old man said. "They joined the rebellion before knowing the four of you. What makes you think the outcome would be the same?"

At that moment, Jun was certain they were talking about him and Zen. His eyes flickered over to Zen, wondering how he was taking this. Zen's eyes were slightly narrowed, and he was twirling one lock of hair between his fingers, as he was prone to do whenever he was thinking or scheming about something. Other than that, he didn't seem at all surprised at what they had heard.

For some time, they didn't hear Rei answer. Just when they'd thought the conversation had stopped, the old man spoke again.

"You can't continue blaming yourself for everything that happened, Rei-chan. Everything happened and happens for a reason. Move on from the past. You can't possibly have forgotten my past, have you?"

"Jii-san, that's different," Rei objected. "That … monster brought you over to their side using his face. They've used your weakness against you." She paused before asking, "What if they do it again? What if I can't protect you again?"

"Silly girl," the old man said affectionately. "You're much stronger than you were before, and do you have so little faith in your Queen?"

"Of course not," Rei replied.

"Then why are you so worried?"

"... Because … I don't want to lose anyone again," Rei finally confessed.

"And you won't," the old man reassured her. "Like I've said, you're stronger now. He's stronger now. And I have both of you protecting me from now on. Why are you still worried?"

Rei didn't answer him.

"It's almost time for dinner," the old man said.

He then proceeded to ask Rei the dishes they should prepare for the night as Jun and Zen snuck back to Zen's room.

"That … was quite a lot of information," Zen said.

Jun nodded numbly, his head still reeling from what they heard. They were left with more questions than answers, and for some reason, Jun couldn't take his mind off the "she" Rei had been talking about before the topic was changed.

He had a gut feeling that he should find out who that "she" was.

"I'll be right back," Jun said, disrupting whatever Zen was saying as he stood up and stumbled out of the room once more.

The world seemed to stop spinning even before he reached his destination, the room next to his new room. He felt his breath caught in his throat when he saw a small familiar figure skipping towards the room where Rei and the old man had been talking in. He didn't know how he managed to continue walking, but somehow he soon found himself standing there, looking inside the room. Rei and the old man were nowhere in sight, but even if they were, Jun suspected that he wouldn't have noticed them.

"Yua …" he called out.

The little girl stopped in her steps. A split second later, she whirled around. Her eyes widened when she looked at Jun.

"Onii-chan!" she exclaimed as she ran towards him.

He crouched down just in time to catch her flying body into his arms as tears welled up in his eyes.

"Yua, I've been looking everywhere for you," he whispered.

"Rei onee-chan! I found my onii-chan!" Yua said.

Hearing that, Jun froze before he released Yua and turned his head around to look at the woman. The old man was standing a small distance away, looking at Jun and Yua with a kind smile.

Jun didn't know what to say. To be honest, he wasn't certain _how_ he felt and how he _should_ feel. Was he angry? Perhaps. It appeared that Rei knew that he was Yua's older brother, and he was correct in assuming that she had connections to the search department. Ami was either her friend or working under her friend.

However, Yua was safe and sound, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen Yua smile so happily. For those reasons, he felt gratitude on top of relief.

"Rei onee-chan!" Yua called out again.

Rei's violet eyes lingered on Jun's face for a short moment before they flickered over to Yua. Gentleness and warmth appeared on her face.

_That's a first._

_No, it isn't. She's like this with the Sailor Senshi and her Princess, too, though it was rare._

He shook those thoughts from his head. Just because everything was adding up, he couldn't possibly start believing that those nightmares were real. Besides, he didn't even know how Sailor Mars acted around the other Senshi and around their Princess.

_Liar._

"Yes, Yua-chan?" Rei asked.

"He's my onii-chan!" Yua introduced with her eyes sparkling. "Onii-chan! Say 'hi' to Rei onee-chan!"

Jun lowered his eyes and looked at the floor for a short moment before he stood up straight and looked at Rei again. "We need to talk."

It felt like it took forever, but finally, Rei gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. Yua looked at the two of them with curiosity and confusion written all over her little face.

"Yua-chan!" the old man called out, successfully attracting the little girl's attention. "Come tell Jii-san about your day at school. I've bought something sweet for you."

A part of Jun wanted to keep Yua there, if only to reassure himself that he'd finally found his sister. However, he knew it wasn't wise to keep her there for the conversation he was about to have with Rei.

"What is it? What is it?" the girl asked as she ran over to the old man.

"Hm … it's a secret, and you'll have to tell me your day before I show them to you," the old man said.

"Aww! But I want to see them now!"

"Jii-san, don't let her eat too many sweets tonight. She smuggled two bags of candy to school today," Rei said.

"I didn't eat all of it," Yua protested, the corners of her lips drooping downwards. "I shared them with friends at school."

Rei's eyes softened. "Fine, but don't give her too much."

Yua cheered before the old man led her away. Even until they were out of sight, Jun could still hear Yua's happy voice, telling the old man about her day.

And then, there was silence. Except for the occasional caw of the crows and the soft rustling of wind brushing through leaves, no other noise interrupted them. Jun contemplated on how to begin his words, and it took a moment before he spoke.

"Our parents died when Yua was still a baby," he said softly, looking in the direction the girl had gone with the old man. "Our mother died because of an illness, and our father … took his own life."

"The records say that it was a car accident," Rei interrupted.

Ah. So she'd seen the records as he had expected. Well, at least the gloves were off now, and he didn't need to beat around the bushes.

"A car accident was what killed him, yes, but I knew he drove off that cliff on his own accord," Jun said, his voice detached. "Before he left home that night, he took me to a room, telling me things as if he were preparing to say good-bye … he told me to take care of Yua, no matter what happened to him …"

_"Don't let love consume you to the point where you cannot live without the other person."_

"At that time, I was going through a rebellious age—"

It might be a bit harsh to call that a "rebellious age", given that he had been going through the trauma of losing his mother. He himself was just a teen, and he didn't know how to handle all the emotions going through him, so he stayed as much as he could away from home, in an attempt to run away from all the memories he had about his mother.

"—I'd thought it was his usual routine. He never spent a day without telling me something along those lines and … and then he never came back and we got sent to live with our grandparents," Jun said with a short, humorless laugh. He ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know if Yua-chan remembers any of this … I mean, how could she? She could barely walk at that time, but I do know that … I've never seen her as happy as she is right now."

He'd always thought that there was something off about Yua's smile. While she tried her best to act happy around everyone, there was always a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Rei replied, a tinge of softness in her voice.

Jun resisted the urge to look at her, knowing that she was going to clam up again if he did. He wasn't trying to get her sympathy vote with his story. That wasn't his intention at all, but neither could he deny he felt a twinge of relief that she could feel something other than resentment towards him.

He shook his head. "All of that is in the past, but what I'm trying to say is—"

Gathering up his courage, he looked at her, a small part of him afraid that he might mess up what he wanted to say while he stared at her in the eye. But he needed to let her know that he was being sincere.

Never mind how hard it would be for him to say his next words.

"What I'm trying to say is …" He took a deep breath before smiling as best as he could. "I would be honored if you can take care of Yua-chan."

He looked away from her, determined to hold down that urge to rescind his request.

Sometimes, the best way to make someone happy was to let them go. While he could be selfish and take Yua away, he didn't know how happy he could make her. He didn't know if he could keep her as happy as she was here.

He heard Rei's sharp inhale of breath, and he didn't dare look at her.

"I know you can take good care of her, and I know she'll be happy here. Perhaps … perhaps when she's older and she remembers she has an older brother, she can come and look for me. In the meanti—"

"Do you know what I hate about you?" Rei suddenly interrupted his monologue.

He whipped his head around and gazed at her in surprise. Her expression nearly made him take a step back. Her eyes were narrowed, and her hands were now fists. Her jaws were clenched down, and—

Was it just his imagination or did the temperature around them just rise another couple of degrees?

"Do you know _what_ I hate about you?" she asked again.

This time she took a step towards him, and uncontrollably, he stepped backwards.

"You do this. Every. Single. Time. You always _think_ that you know what other people are thinking and feeling. Why, yes, perhaps it works when you're facing strangers, but you know what? You're a goddamned piece of _rock_ when it comes to the emotions of people you care about—no wonders about where you'd gotten your name. Did you think _sacrificing_ is the best way to go around doing things? What are you going to do? Go home and start withering until there's nothing left but a husk of your original body? Let anger and depression overwhelm you before some evil power takes you over again?" she seethed.

"Wait—wha—"

"I'm not finished yet," she snapped, and he cringed. "You think you're caring about what other people think, but you're just being utterly _selfish_. Did you ever think about how the other person would feel? You want to be the hero, but in the process, you're neglecting what the other person thinks. Have you thought about how Yua-chan would feel if you left her? She would think that you've abandoned her! Is that how a proper older brother should act?"

" _You_ were the one who didn't want me to find her. _You_ and the search department," Jun finally lashed out, though his voice was much meeker than he'd hoped it would be.

" _That_ was before we could be certain you weren't going to be goddamned stupid and get taken over by evil powers. _Again_ ," Rei replied. "Judging by your track record, things aren't exactly in your favor, but—"

"Rei-chan," a voice suddenly called out, stopping her in her rant.

They looked towards the source, and Jun blinked when he saw the group in front of him. He knew or had seen three of the five people. The remaining two—

His eyes uncontrollably latched on to the man. Contrasting feelings of guilt and happiness warred inside him, and the inexplicable urge to kneel and ask for forgiveness stirred in his gut. Instead, he just stood there, frozen on the spot and not knowing what to do and what to make of the situation in front of him.

"You're confusing him, Rei-chan," the woman next to the man said with a kind smile.

Rei's mouth snapped shut before she opened it again. "How did you—"

She trailed off in her words. She gazed around before her eyes landed on someone who was standing a small distance away behind her. The strawberry blond gave her a little wave.

" _You_ ," she growled through gritted teeth.

"You can't expect me to watch my brother get burned into crisps after getting a scolding, can you?" Zen asked as he sauntered towards them.

Before he reached where they were standing, he jumped off the edge of the corridor, keeping a wide distance between him and Rei, and walked towards the small group of people.

Jun narrowed his eyes at his friend. Zen gave him a shrug.

"Sorry, I was on orders to not tell you anything," Zen said.

Feelings of betrayal unfurled in the pit of Jun's stomach. Had everything been a lie? Was he going crazy? Was there some intricate plot to pull him in? What was going on?

"It's not what you think," the woman he didn't know spoke up again. She turned towards the man. "Should we speak to him alone?"

The man mulled it over before deciding, "Whatever he prefers."

Those dark blue eyes landed on Jun, and it was strange, how a simple gaze felt like an order, but Jun answered as if he'd been asked, "I would just like to know the truth."

~-0-~

His teacher in high school once told him, many humans didn't know what they wanted, and most of the time, what they wanted wasn't necessarily the best things for them. Jun always thought it made sense, but he realized that he didn't truly understand that sentiment until today.

He felt he might just remember that meeting in the tearoom, with Neo-Queen Serenity, King Endymion, and their Senshi for the rest of his life.

The Queen and the King—his mind was already calling them _his_ Queen and _his_ King, even though he hadn't promised to stay yet—were nothing but kind and understanding. He could tell that the Senshi weren't overly fond of him, but given what he had learned tonight, the fact that they didn't try to kill him on sight was a win for him.

He daresay he was doing better than that silver-eyed man he'd seen at Old Oak Tree the other day.

Serenity and Endymion hadn't mentioned anything about that man, but a part of him knew that he played an important part in the story that was revealed to him tonight.

Besides, at the very least, they still trusted him enough to allow him to stay at Hikawa Shrine with the old man and Yua.

_And Rei ..._

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his door. Seconds later, the paper door opened, revealing Zen. The latter glanced at Jun and came in without needing to be ushered in. He thoroughly ignored the side-eye Jun gave him as well. Instead, he sat down at the edge of the futon, pulling the feet of the blanket over his crossed legs before setting his eyes on Jun.

"How are you doing?" Zen asked, tilting his head to a side.

"Depends on what you're asking about," Jun replied, moving a bit to the side so that Zen would have some more room on the futon. "If you're asking about you coming in and stealing half of my blanket and space without asking, then horrible, thank you very much. If you're asking about the whole night as a whole … I like to think I'm coping."

Zen cast a look at the blanket. "I'm only taking up one-eighth of your blanket."

Jun rolled his eyes and shifted his body so that he was lying on his side.

"The whole memories from the past life thing could be confusing," Zen said, his voice much more careful than what Jun was accustomed to hearing from Zen.

Jun stared ahead of him as he inhaled deeply. After a short moment of hesitation, he asked without looking at Zen, "How long have you known?"

"Not much longer than you," Zen confessed. "Remember that hack war I had going on? It was like I'd guessed. The person on the other end was Ami-chan—I don't know how much you remember about our past lives, but she's Sailor Mercury. They … I think they knew who we were since the very start. Ami-chan didn't tell me straight out, but I suspect they'd been keeping tabs on us even before the Great Freeze. Probably from the moment we joined the rebellion."

Some burden was lifted from Jun's heart when he heard what Zen said. At the very least, Zen didn't lie to him.

Jun had no idea if their closeness was the result of what happened in their past life. All he knew was that he cared about this spoiled brat he could almost call his brother. If Zen had been part of this whole thing, he knew it would be much harder for him to find internal peace.

"They didn't want me to let you know too many details because they didn't want to force everything on you," Zen said. "Well, at least that's what the King had said." He tilted his head to one side. "His exact words, according to Ami-chan, were: 'Remembering past lives can be a burden or a blessing. We don't know which one it might be for him, so it's probably better to let things come to pass on their own'."

Jun couldn't agree more.

"Not that I remember everything. And I get the feeling that they leave out the nastier details when they talk to us," Zen commented.

Jun nodded after a moment. He, too, got the feeling that the Queen and King had brushed over some parts of the whole story when they spoke to him that afternoon.

They hadn't even touched upon the subject of him killing Sailor Mars.

Zen asked, "So what are you going to do with all the information dump?"

Jun didn't answer. Instead, a frown appeared on his face.

Zen held up his hands in mock defeat. "I wasn't sent to dig for news."

"I didn't say you were."

Jun sighed before pushing himself up into a sitting position. Zen watched him from the corner of his eyes, an expression of nonchalance on his face. However, one hand gripped onto the edges of the blanket, and the stiffness in his body was apparent even from where Jun was sitting.

"Look … I know this whole … _thing_ is backed up by the Queen and the King, so more than likely, everything is real. Including my inexplicable tendency to trust you, probably more than I should, given that we hadn't even known one another for too long," Jun said. "Also, I may not have your intelligence and be as tech-savvy as you are, but if there's anything I trust in, it's my ability to read people … and judging from what the Queen told me, it was part of my job to be good at reading people."

 _"But from what you guys described, he was pretty shit at it while he was under the control of the Dark Kingdom, with him underestimating people and—"_ Makoto had scrunched up her nose while saying this during their talk. _"—being a complete chauvinistic pig."_

_"Maybe it was his soul trying to fight against the dark powers back then."_

Much to his surprise, it had been Minako who had spoken up for him. He'd looked at her in surprise, but she had had her eyes on the dessert Rei had taken out for them while she prodded at it with a spoon.

Zen shrugged, but tension noticeably left his shoulders and leaned forward, propping his head up on his laced fingers while resting his elbows on his knees.

"They'd probably tell you it's a bad idea to trust me this much, judging on how I've been under the control of … what's her face and what's her face," Zen said.

His eyes flickered, amusement and discomfort clashing in those bottle-green eyes.

With Zen's excellent memory, Jun found it hard to believe that he would've forgotten Metallia and Beryl's names. However, Jun could understand the younger man's reluctance in mentioning the names of those who'd led to the destruction of everything in their past lives.

"They'd probably tell you it's a bad idea to trust me, too. In fact, you're probably in much more danger than I ever will be, given that we're in my territory right now," Jun joked, giving Zen a lopsided smile.

"Pfft." Zen rolled his eyes, waving a hand in his direction while he looked off to the side. "You're not even married to Rei-san yet, so this is hardly your territory."

Jun's cheeks burned, but before he could say something in retort, there was a knock on the paper door.

Jun got up from the futon, hoping that it wouldn't be the old man. While the old man was fond of him and probably wouldn't care that someone was trying to court his granddaughter, it was still embarrassing to Jun.

The gods heard his pleas, and it wasn't the old man.

Jun wished the floor would open up and swallow him whole when he saw Rei standing there, her expression still calm and collected. However, if Jun hadn't been as flustered as he was to see her, he would've noticed a suspicious tinge of pink on her cheeks.

"May I talk to you for a moment?" Rei asked Jun after giving Zen a short nod as greetings.

Jun scratched the back of his head, gazing at anywhere but at her. He had expected anyone to be standing on the other side of the door. Hell, he could even imagine Minako searching him out for a chat. But after what happened during that afternoon, Rei had been the last person he would expect to visit him and request to talk.

After a short moment, he nodded. Rei turned around, signaling for him to follow her.

Zen mouthed "Don't play with fire" and gave Jun a cocky grin as the latter closed the paper door and followed Rei.

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to my beta, Nerys! Many thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Huge thanks to Vchanny and d for commenting!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The walk towards their destination was a quiet one. Rei never looked back to see if he was following her—though he supposed she didn't need to, with her sharp senses as a Senshi.

They stopped in the courtyard. Without the temple visitors, the place was surrounded by a serene atmosphere, especially under the night sky. The old man was nowhere in sight, and Jun wondered for a moment if he were purposely giving him and Rei space.

Though he wouldn't put it past Rei to request for privacy before searching out Jun.

"I owe you an apology."

Rei's voice brought Jun out of his reverie, and he frowned, wondering why she was apologizing.

As if she'd sensed his confusion, she continued, "I shouldn't have lost my temper towards you this afternoon."

Realization dawned on Jun, and he shook his head, a soft chuckle leaving his lips. "You don't need to apologize to me." He paused for a second before continuing, "I was … I should've thought things over a bit more before springing my request on you."

Rei turned around. With the moon behind her, Jun couldn't see her expression as well as he would've liked.

Of course, that meant that she could catch any nuance on his face the moment they occurred.

_She was and is second-in-command to Venus after all._

The silence that followed made Jun shift in his position, and he was reminded of that nightmare he'd had of Jadeite and Sailor Mars, the one on the moon in the garden where she'd told him to stay away from her. He wondered if this particular meeting would turn out the same.

Unexpectedly, he felt a boulder drop in his stomach. While he had been prepared to leave Yua to Rei's care, the whole sentiment was completely different if he were ordered to move out of the temple.

Just thinking about it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"That," she said, "wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I lost my temper today."

He looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate, before he realized she was probably thinking about certain incidents from their previous lives.

_"You do this. Every. Single. Time. You always think that you know what other people are thinking and feeling … What are you going to do? Go home and start withering until there's nothing left but a husk of your original body? Let anger and depression overwhelm you before some evil power takes you over again?"_

It hadn't made sense to him when she'd said it, but now, it did.

"It's not your fault," Jun said.

"To you, it never was, was it?" she asked softly.

If anything, the confusion in Jun grew. He didn't know if it were his imagination, but he thought he heard amusement and nostalgia, and maybe even a hint of regret, in her voice.

But before he could contemplate anymore on that, she spoke again, her voice back to the calm and collected one he was so accustomed to by now, though her words weren't any less shocking to him.

"I won't throw you out of the temple," she said. "You're … Yua's older brother this lifetime, and she needs you. And Jii-san … needs you as well."

The underlying meaning in what she said didn't escape him, so he said, "You said 'this lifetime'. So that means that I know Yua and Jii-san in my previous lifetime as well?"

It was after the words left his mouth that he realized how many things could go wrong with him asking the question. It was as if he hadn't learned from the lesson he'd received that afternoon. Nothing good came out of him prying too much into his past life.

Nonetheless, a part of him wanted to know, anticipated the answer from Rei. Despite knowing all the terrible things that were associated with his past, he couldn't help wanting to understand more about who he was in the past, before he became that monster who'd helped bring the Silver Millennium and the Golden Kingdom towards destruction.

"Yua … was my sister," Rei replied, "and Jii-san was your mentor."

No wonder he felt an inexplicable closeness to the old man.

"You really don't remember much about the past," she suddenly murmured, almost as if she was saying it to herself.

"I … just remember what I've seen in nightmares … and random tidbits that appear in my mind," Jun confessed.

The Queen and King hadn't asked much about what he knew about the Silver Millennium and the Golden Kingdom, so Jun had assumed that they all knew about what he'd dreamed about. Apparently, they'd thought he'd remembered more than he actually did.

Rei didn't answer him, and silence blanketed over them once more. Now, however, Jun felt much more at ease, knowing that he wouldn't be shunned by her.

Sure, nobody wanted someone they liked to hate them. In Jun's case, perhaps it was because of what he had seen in his nightmares, but he wasn't even thinking about courting Rei. Not that he wasn't attracted to her, quite the opposite really, but wooing her was at the bottom of the list of things on his mind at the moment. He was quite happy with the fact that she wouldn't stop him from seeing Yua anymore for the time being.

_Definitely not going to become that monster in the nightmare._

"Are you really not going to consider returning to the King's side?" Rei asked, surprising him once again.

Jun stared at her. From the corner of his eye, he saw her clench and unclench her fist, but he kept his gaze firmly on her face, despite the fact that her expression was still clouded by the shadows.

He remembered how Minako had been reluctant to let the silver-eyed man go back to the King's side, so why was Rei so generous to him?

"The King misses you … all four of you," she continued to say.

"I'd thought …" Jun started to say before stopping himself.

He didn't know how much of one's personality was retained between reincarnations, but he was certain that Rei wasn't the type of person who would let someone into her heart easily. He didn't know why she was treating him this way, in a way that could almost be described as gentle, for the time being, but he wasn't going to push his luck.

However, there were some things that couldn't and shouldn't be left in the background to fester.

"I … Jadeite … He … He killed Sailor Mars," Jun said softly.

Rei's body visibly stiffened upon hearing his words, if only for a few seconds, and he could hear some suppressed emotions when she spoke again.

"Jadeite … had been under the control of other beings," Rei said. "I … we are willing to believe that most of the things that he had done were against his will."

"That's not the impression I'd gotten when Minako-san spoke with that silver-eyed man. I don't see how I'm any different from him," Jun replied, despite how surprised he was.

"She doesn't want him to come back for her own reasons," Rei replied. "It's ... complicated."

It was clear to Jun that he wasn't going to get more information about this from her, so he simply stood there with polite attentiveness on his face.

After all, she wasn't the only person he could get information from

"The reason I wanted to speak with you tonight is because I want you to know, if you want to return to the King's side, I won't stop you. You are welcomed to be his personal guard again … as much as you are also welcomed to stay here," Rei said.

~-0-~

If anything, his chat with Rei left Jun with more questions than answers, but at least he didn't feel like he would be thrown out of Hikawa Shrine at any moment anymore. One of the biggest pluses was the fact that Rei seemed at ease enough nowadays to give him a polite nod when they saw one another—or at least whenever she acknowledged his presence. Admittedly, there were a couple of times when he felt that she'd pretended to not see him so as to not interact with him, but at least she was civil whenever their gazes met.

He'd thought about finding a job but was quickly discouraged by the old man.

"Not before you figure out if you're returning to the King's side," the old man instructed him.

Jun resisted the urge to ask: What if it took him a couple of years to decide?

He doubted the old man would appreciate that question, especially with that knowing look on the latter's face, as if Jun would agree to becoming the King's personal guard once more anytime soon.

So, other than the days when he was busy with temple duties, he rekindled his enjoyment towards visiting Old Oak Tree. The next most logical thing on the list of things to do was, of course, to figure out why the sudden change in attitude towards him, especially in Rei's case. He knew he couldn't get that information from the shrine maiden, so the best way around it was to ask those who knew her better than he did.

His choices were either Neo-Queen Serenity or one of the other Sailor Senshi, but he had a gut instinct that it would be a bad idea to dig for news from the Queen herself.

He was still left with three choices, but Minako's name was immediately placed in the "not unless I'm in a life-or-death situation, and even then, handle with caution" category. Despite her ditzy exterior, Jun knew better than to try to play games with her, and he couldn't guarantee what she said would be true.

That left him with either Ami or Makoto to dig news from.

He'd considered concentrating on getting information from Ami. If anything, she sort of still owed him one from what happened at the search department. Never mind the fact that there seemed to be something going on between her and Zen, though neither had said anything just yet.

Much to his surprise, however, his opening came one particular day when Minako didn't come to Old Oak Tree without any warning, and Makoto was left with the situation of where she had to work both the kitchen and counter. She was just considering closing for the day when Jun walked in, and after explaining the situation to him, Jun had offered to take Minako's place for the day.

He didn't know if it were because she was simply grateful for any help she could get that day or if it were because he'd kept a clean record ever since the Great Freeze had ended, but she immediately left him a few instructions before rushing back into the kitchen again.

Since it was the first time he worked there, he wasn't certain if the customer flow could be considered normal or not, but by the time Makoto informed him that it was time to close up the shop, he had lost count of the number of cups of coffee he had handed over to customers.

Makoto offered to pay him back in cash for his help, which he turned down, and the two of them soon found themselves sitting at one of the tables with two plates of cake and two cups of chamomile tea.

"I seriously feel bad for not paying you," Makoto said as she picked up a fork and poked it into her chocolate velvet cake.

Jun picked up his fork to cut into the apple cinnamon cake as a light smile found its place on his face. "I wouldn't say 'no' to the promise of lifelong supply of cake, you know?"

"Now that's just being greedy," Makoto replied, pointing her fork at him while a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

"Darn it. My perfect plan is foiled," Jun said with just a touch of dramatic flare, causing Makoto to laugh.

"No free cakes for the rest of your life," Makoto said, picking up her cup of tea, "but I suppose I can, let's say, answer some questions you might have."

Jun stared at her.

A corner of her lips tugged upwards. "You didn't think I'm that stupid, did you?"

"I never thought of you as stupid," Jun said, doing his best to look as sincere as he could.

"Nah, I don't think you did," Makoto said, taking a sip out of her cup before placing it down back on its saucer. "But admittedly, I can't read people as well as Minako-chan, and neither am I as sharp as Rei-chan."

So much for Jadeite being good at reading people.

Later, in retrospect, he would worry about the fact that he was still underestimating people even when he was free from the powers of the Dark Kingdom. At the current moment, he could only concentrate on his blunder.

His cheeks burned, and he took a bite out of the apple cinnamon cake. The simple task of swallowing seemed a lot harder than usual tonight. Even though the dessert was as delicious as always, it felt more like chewing sand to him.

Makoto didn't immediately speak again, and he felt his skin prickle with unease as the seconds slipped past. It wasn't until he was halfway through his cake when she spoke again.

"So … the questions."

Her voice was light, and for a short moment, Jun considered not asking anything. He wasn't all that surprised when the first word out of his mouth wasn't a question.

"Sorry."

Makoto tilted her head to the side. All of a sudden, a brilliant smile appeared on her face. "Seems like Serenity is correct. You are different from both your past life self and the Dark Kingdom goon."

Jun blinked at her, though he couldn't say he was very confused that they'd spoken about him (and maybe even Zen) behind his back.

"Apology accepted, by the way," she said, a slightly upward lilt in her voice. "And ask away."

When he still didn't say anything, she raised her eyebrows at him.

"I'm still not going to offer you free cake for the rest of your life even if you don't ask questions about Rei-chan, you know?"

"I didn't mean that," Jun answered, his cheeks burning once again.

And he wasn't planning on just asking questions about Rei, though it didn't feel right adding that in at the moment.

"Then stop being stupid and ask the damned questions already," Makoto said with a smile. "I haven't got all day."

"That silver-eyed man that I saw the other day, when you burst out of the kitchen," Jun said.

A look of confusion appeared on Makoto's face before it was replaced by realization and then surprise. "Not exactly the first thing I thought you would ask, but I guess it's not too surprising that you're asking about him." She took another small bite out of her cake. "His name is Takahashi Koichi."

Jun stared, and he nearly dropped the cup of chamomile tea before he managed to steady his hand.

"You're kidding me."

Makoto raised her eyebrows at him. "Does it look like I am?"

"But he's … he's …"

"A high-ranking member of the rebellion, yeah."

_"Didn't you already destroy that possibility a thousand years ago? Didn't you and your sisters already burn every possible way back for me the day after I arrived at your Princess's doorstep?"_

That memory suddenly came back to Jun, different pieces from different memories clicked together, and he understood.

"He was acting as a spy for you, a thousand years ago, just when the rebellion started," Jun said.

" _Before_ it started."

Jun remained silent, recalling all the failed attempts at assassinations and other projects, and he wondered how many were the works of Koichi Takahashi.

"How many spies did you guys have?" Jun asked with a frown.

Makoto laughed, genuine humor swimming in her eyes even when the loud, throaty laughter died down into little chuckles. "Really? You're asking that question when you know it's—well, okay, I suppose you _don't_ have your memories from the past, but I doubt Kunzite would be amused by you underestimating him either way."

_Kunzite …_

"He's technically the only one we know. How many spies did Venus send in without us knowing? No idea. How many other people did Koichi-san recruit while he was in there? No idea either."

True, the two leaders— _and Jun had no idea why he categorized Koichi as a leader in his mind_ —hardly showed their final hands.

"Aren't you afraid of what I might do with this information? I mean, there are still rebels out there," Jun commented, placing his fork down on the table though he was nowhere finished with his cake yet.

Makoto mimicked his move, before folding her hands and placing them behind her head. "Minako-chan didn't mention anything about keeping information from you. And Rei-chan is letting you live with Jii-san. They must think you're trustworthy to a certain degree." She paused for a second before adding, "And if you betray Endymion again, I'll just go ahead and beat you into a pulp before putting you through a meat grinder."

Technically, he hadn't sworn his loyalty to the King yet, but Jun doubted it would be wise for him to mention that at the moment.

"Are you really not going to ask any questions about Rei-chan? Or are you just shy about it?"

The fork Jun had just picked up fell out of his hand, leaving behind a clattering sound as it landed on the table.

Makoto's lips quivered and her eyes twinkled, though he supposed she was already being kind by not laughing at him straight out.

He picked up the fork again, clutching his fingers around the base before loosening it slightly a couple of times before he poked it into the cake.

"There's … not much for me to ask, I suppose," he said cautiously.

He internally cringed when he thought he heard a note of melancholy in his voice.

Makoto stared at him, attentiveness written all over her face as she waited for him to elaborate. She absentmindedly scratched her cheek before allowing her fingers to play with the fork. That was when he noticed that she hadn't eaten much of it and there was still at least three-quarters of it left.

"I mean, she's allowing me to live at Hikawa Shrine … That's already so much to ask from her. I can't continue to impose myself on her like this. I … I don't want to become the person … the Jadeite from my dreams and bother her," he admitted.

Confusion flickered through Makoto's pretty green eyes. "What do you mean, impose yourself on her?"

"I know my presence troubles her," Jun said, "both in this lifetime and in our past lives. It would be—"

"Hold up, hold up," Makoto said, her eyes wide. "Let me get this straight. You think that your presence troubles her? As in, you think she hates you?"

"Well, she does," he said. " … Doesn't she?"

Makoto ogled him. Then, loud laughter slipped out of her lips again. Her whole body shook, and she held onto the table edge with one hand, as if to steady herself, as she wrapped an arm around her waist as Jun watched dumbfounded, not certain what was so funny about what he had said.

"Oh dear," Makoto gasped when the laughter finally died down a bit. "This is too much. And to think that you were supposedly good at reading people."

"She wanted me to stay away from Yua-chan, and she wasn't … She seemed rather upset when she saw me at Hikawa Shrine the first time I was there," Jun pointed out.

"That's because she's worried about you," Makoto said as she grabbed a napkin and wiped her eyes. "For someone who's supposedly renowned for reading people, you really suck at your job."

"Hey!"

"It's true," Makoto said with a shrug. "I mean, I can understand it the first time because Mars isn't really forthcoming with her feelings and stuff, but since this is the second time you're getting everything wrong, I totally have enough reasons to call bullshit on your skills."

Jun's breath hitched. Although he was generally still confused with the implications of Makoto's words, something inside him seemed to have connected the dots.

Makoto leaned forwards, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "She's worried that you'll be swayed over to the dark side again because of her. She doesn't want to see you die in front of her again, so she thought it would be best to keep you away from her altogether."

"It's not her fault," Jun objected.

Makoto shrugged again, leaning back into the chair she was sitting in. "To be honest, I don't remember much about our past lives, just tidbits here and there, and besides, I can't possibly know what happened to you back then. But I do remember that you got swayed by Queen Beryl after her rejection for you to stay by her side, and Mars wondered if she shouldn't have been so harsh on Jadeite."

"It's not her fault," Jun repeated himself, shaking his head. "I … Jadeite is a fool."

Makoto raised her eyebrows.

"Sorry, was a fool," Jun amended quickly, causing Makoto to snort. "I mean, I don't remember what happened either, but if he accepted darkness just because Mars rejected him, then he's more naïve and petty than a simple child. It's sad to get rejected by someone you love, but Mars did nothing wrong by cutting him off if she couldn't reciprocate his feelings. It would've been worse if she strung him along, giving him hope that things could work out between them."

"Harsh, but true," Makoto commented softly. "To be honest, I don't think things were that easy or black and white? But whatever."

Jun sighed, leaning back into his seat as irritation towards the Jadeite in the past continued to grow. Confusion warred inside him. Most people had a petty side, and Jun was no different, but to submit himself to the dark side just because a woman rejected him …

It didn't feel like something he would do.

But he also couldn't deny the fact that he _felt_ a connection with the name "Jadeite". Deep inside him, he _knew_ that had been his name.

"Hey! Remember when I—well, when _Jupiter_ told you that Mars had a vow of celibacy?" Makoto asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

Jun nodded.

Before Makoto could continue to speak, loud tapping could be heard coming from the window beside them.

Jun looked up to find Naoto Watanabe standing there, fuming, while he glared at the two of them.

"You don't have time to face me, but you have time to sit there, drink tea, and eat cake with a pretty boy!?"

Though his voice was muffled, Naoto's words could still be heard loud and clear through the window.

A growl came from Makoto as she stood up, the chair nearly falling over. After making a rude gesture at Naoto, she unhooked the curtains, allowing them to cover the windows.

Moments later, Naoto entered the café and stalked over to where they were sitting.

Makoto rolled her eyes to the ceiling and sighed before shooting Jun a wan smile. "I should go clean up the kitchen so we can close up. I'll chat with you later."

Ignoring Naoto, she stood up and walked into the kitchen.

Jun blinked. He'd thought Makoto had cleaned up the kitchen before sitting down with him to talk.

Makoto's place was soon taken over by Naoto, who contented himself by crossing his arms over his buff chest and glaring down at Jun.

_Nephrite._

Jun was a bit surprised himself when his mind provided that name for Naoto. Judging from what he had gone through in the last couple of days, it didn't seem like he was hallucinating or being overly creative though.

Therefore, he hardly blinked when Naoto picked up the fork and cleaned off the cake Makoto had left behind. For a moment, Jun wondered if Makoto had left it there on purpose.

"What are you doing here?" Naoto suddenly asked after finishing off Makoto's chamomile tea, too.

"... Business related stuff," Jun replied.

"..."

Technically, Jun wasn't lying.

"This is the second time I've seen you here." Naoto paused for a second before adding, "Sorry about hurting your shoulder last time."

"No worries about it," Jun replied.

"So you work here now?" Naoto asked.

Why did that sound more threatening than it should?

"... Not really. Minako-san didn't come in today, so I was just here to help."

"She _called_ you to come in—"

"No, no, I just walked in at the right time," Jun explained quickly, having no doubts that the "she" was referring to Makoto and not Minako.

He wasn't Zoisite. He didn't have any desires to be body slammed into the ground just for a few laughs.

That seemed to appease Naoto. Or at least Jun didn't feel like he was in any immediate danger for the moment.

"I should get going then," Jun said as he stood up.

"I thought _she_ said she was going to chat with you later."

Not like he could get more information with Naoto around. Jun wasn't even sure how much the man remembered about their past lives.

"It seems like whatever you needed to tell her is much more important," Jun said with a smile plastered on his face. "See you around."

~-0-~

Winter was peeking around the corner, and the night wind carried a touch of her coldness towards those walking around the streets. Thankfully, Jun had remembered to grab a scarf this morning before heading out that morning.

He was about three streets down from Old Oak Tree when a car stopped a couple of meters away from him. He probably wouldn't have noticed it if it weren't for the familiar blonde who stumbled out of it, still hissing something towards the driver before slamming the door shut behind her.

The driver immediately got off, circled around the car, and grabbed her arm, preventing her from walking away from him.

Jun stopped in his stride, suddenly wishing that he'd taken a different route home.

It wasn't as if he could hear what they were arguing about, but he had a feeling things would take a turn towards something that he shouldn't witness.

He was just considering turning around to take a detour when the argument between Minako and Koichi— _Kunzite_ —got louder, and then his hunch was proven true.

He should've taken a different route home. He really, really didn't need to see his former leader (could he really be considered former?) trapping Minako against the car and kissing her.

As if things weren't bad enough, his phone chose that moment to start ringing. Just like a badly scripted show, he tried to stop the ringing but his mind couldn't decide whether to pick it up or silence it, so he ended up doing neither.

When he finally got it to stop ringing by shutting his phone off, he looked up and found both Koichi and Minako staring at him, with the latter's cheeks bright red.

Koichi placed a hand on top of Minako's head, opened the door to his car, and maneuvered her back inside. She didn't put up a fight, and Jun couldn't help wondering if they somehow knew how to communicate with one another nonverbally.

Koichi walked towards Jun, and without even acknowledging it, Jun stood up just a bit straighter, like a soldier standing at attention. Koichi didn't even say a word, but when he passed by Jun's side, the latter wordlessly turned around and followed him.

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to my beta, Nerys! Huge thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Huge thanks to Vchanny, and i1976_blu_notte for commenting!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Sitting down on a bench not too far from where his car was parked, Koichi motioned for Jun to do the same.

Jun thought about it for a short moment but in the end decided to remain standing.

Koichi didn't insist upon it. His sitting position seemed casual, with his feet crossed at the ankles and one arm resting on the back of the bench with his chin resting on top of his fingers. Apparently, he was also in no rush to speak; Jun had no idea how much time had passed, but it felt like forever as Koichi gazed at him in silence.

Despite the cold weather, cold sweat trickled down Jun's back, as if he were a child who'd been caught doing something naughty—and it had nothing to do with the scene he'd just accidentally witnessed.

While his memories of his past life were minimal, he had a gut feeling that Jadeite was more afraid of his leader than of his liege.

"I trust you have a good reason for turning down the offer to return to our King's side," Koichi finally said.

There it was.

Jun swallowed but remained silent. Thankfully, he had his hands in his pockets, so the man sitting on the bench couldn't see him clenching his fists just a bit tighter to stop himself from shaking. It was as if he was trained to do so—or maybe he had been, in his past life—but he knew, even if he had arguments to defend himself with, he shouldn't speak without permission when Kunzite had that face on.

"Explain yourself."

"I didn't turn down the offer. I just … needed some time to think about it."

"That's as close as it could get to a rejection. Both the King and Mars had been gracious enough to offer you a place to return to his side, and you're telling me that you need time to think about it?" Koichi asked.

"I've betrayed him."

Koichi raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't that make it more of a reason to return to his side to protect him?"

"But what if I fall prey to the dark powers again? I don't even fully remember what happened back then. What if it happens again?" Jun asked.

A derisive sound left Koichi's lips. "So on top of being a traitor, you've decided to take on the title of a coward, too? That's not the way you were trained, Jadeite."

Jun opened his mouth before shutting it.

"You can excuse yourself for being a traitor because we were all tricked by Beryl and then brainwashed. But what are your excuses for being a coward?" Koichi asked, placing his elbows on his knees and leaning forward. "If you continue running away, you do not deserve your titles, Jadeite, even if you add 'former' in front of them. What did I tell you the first time you fell down while running?"

Jun had no recollections, but the words came out before he could think, as if they had been hammered into his subconscious: "Get up and continue running."

Koichi nodded. "And what are you doing now?"

_Staying on the ground. Staring at the wounds as if they would heal miraculously on their own._

Koichi got up from the bench and walked over to where Jun was standing. "We are fortunate enough that there aren't any enemies in sight right now. But I cannot be beside Endy right now." His eyes flickered over to his car before he refocused his gaze on Jun. "While I do not doubt the Sailor Senshi's ability to protect both him and the Queen, there is never harm in having an extra pair of hands, and if anything, you should return as soon as possible in order to train with them. This will be the first time you're working with them, and coordination will take time."

Jun couldn't find the right words to say. To say that he wasn't affected by Koichi's words would be a lie, but he knew he still needed a bit more time to digest everything.

He needed some kind of reconciliation with his past.

Koichi took one last look at him before turning around to walk towards his car.

Jun snapped out his reverie, and the words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself, "I don't know why Minako-san doesn't want you to go back to his side, but I don't think it's because of … what happened in our past lives."

Koichi halted in his steps, his back stiff. He didn't turn around, and it took him a while before he spoke.

"Your skills are regressing. Even without training, the way you handled that ringing cell phone was appalling."

Jun could only stare as the man continued back to his car.

Why did he think it was a good idea to help his leader return to Endymion's side?

~-0-~

_He was running._

_He'd been here, many times in the past, but for the first time, the trees that surrounded him felt like demons from hell, as if each branch were limbs trying to reach out and grab him. He no longer knew if it were his imagination or because they truly had been infused with dark powers._

_His eyes landed on Zoisite, who was running in front of him, and he felt more than saw Nephrite behind him, heavy footfalls pounding against the forest floor. The three of them were the only source of sound in the forest, and it unsettled Jadeite._

_Would they get out of this alive? Jadeite didn't know. He didn't have time to think. For the first time since he'd become one of the Shitennou, maybe for the first time in his life, he wanted to crawl back into his bed and pretend that none of this had ever happened, that he could wake up in the morning to find all of this a bad nightmare._

_But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't break down or give up. He still needed to return to his Prince's side._

_His lungs burned, and he knew half of it was because of the bad condition his body was already in before they came here._

_A wry smile appeared on his face. Perhaps Mars had been right to reject him. He was weak for allowing himself to wallow in sorrow. Not that he could've known this would happen, but it wasn't an excuse._

_Kunzite wouldn't have accepted that excuse._

_He felt like keeling over and retching, but he knew that wouldn't be helpful. Not in a situation like this. Perhaps there was still a way to save … everything, return everything back to normal. He'd heard stories from Endy about how Queen Serenity and the Silver Crystal had immense power. Perhaps she could save Kunzite._

_His eyes blurred, and a root of a tree caught his foot. Before he slammed into the ground, Nephrite caught him, propping him upwards with an arm around Jadeite's middle._

_"I'll only be a burden to you. Go, with Zoisite. Go back to Endy, and go look for Queen Serenity," Jadeite panted._

_"You're insane if you think I'm leaving you behind," Nephrite said through gritted teeth. "They'll have to kill me before I lose another brother tonight."_

_Suddenly, a yelp came from ahead as Zoisite crashed into an invisible barrier. He fell to the floor, groaning in pain, while Nephrite and Jadeite hurried forward to help him up._

_A sinking feeling festered in Jadeite's gut. It didn't matter if it were now powered by dark energy, he would recognize Kunzite's barriers anywhere. The imposter had even learned Kunzite's powers—he refused to believe that the person zeroing in on them was their leader, their brother._

_He glanced at Nephrite, noticing how his eyes were red, though Jadeite had no idea if it were from sadness or anger. Zoisite's body was stiff, and his breaths came out in a strange manner, almost as if he were trying to hold back tears._

_As "Kunzite" materialized in front of them, Nephrite tightened his grasp around Jadeite and Zoisite as he glared at the person bearing the face of the man all three of them had once looked up to._

~-0-~

_Darkness surrounded him. He felt like he had been dropped into a room filled with tar. He could breathe just fine, but it felt more labored than usual. He had long since given up on trying to move or find his way out. Jadeite had no idea how long he'd been here, but the mental games he'd gone through made it feel like a lifetime._

_Whoever it was had taken the forms of those he cared about—Endymion, Nephrite, Zoisite, Kunzite, Mars—trying to sway him over, trying to convince him to accept the darkness and swear his loyalty to Queen Beryl and, through her, Queen Metallia. So far, he'd won the battles._

_But he had no idea when he would lose the war._

_"Jadeite."_

_The voice made him freeze, if only for a second. Years of training had hammered into his mind the importance of masking one's emotions. This was important in front of strangers, and even more crucial when facing enemies._

_However, when that familiar face stepped into view, that face that held just a hint of mischief behind all that kindness, he could only stare._

_Pain surged through his heart. Despite knowing that being too emotional would give just another opening for the darkness to tempt him, he couldn't bring himself to get a hold of himself._

_Nobody knew his mentor, the man who had taught him things and cared for him before he became personal guard to Prince Endymion, not even his family members._

_Nobody, except his fellow Shitennou._

_Confusion joined the pain torturing his mind, as he wondered what had happened._

_Had one of his brothers betrayed him?_

_"You've lost your way, Jadeite," his mentor said as he hobbled over to where Jadeite was being held. "The witches from the skies had cast a spell on you, planting the seed of sin into your heart, and making you shun everything that could bring you back to the correct path. It's time to let go, my apprentice."_

_Jadeite shut his eyes, refusing to look at the person in front of him. It must be another illusion. Or maybe it was like the situation with "Kunzite", where it was another monster bearing the face of someone he held close to his heart._

_His body shook when the old man placed a hand on his face, patting it in the soothing way he had always done._

_"It's time to let go," the old man repeated. "How will you protect this world if you continue to be enchanted by Sailor Mars? How will you regain your mind if you've lost your soul?"_

_No, no, this couldn't be his mentor. His mentor had been optimistic towards Queen Serenity's intent towards the Golden Kingdom. Never once had he ever called them "witches from the skies"._

~-0-~

_"That … monster brought you over to their side using his face. They've used your weakness against you."_

Unbidden, those words Rei had said to the old man the other day came to him, even while he was still submerged in his dream. It triggered something within him, turning what had been a simple memory into something much more.

~-0-~

_"You are not my mentor."_

_The old man stared at him blankly, the smile frozen in place._

_Jun had always been a bystander when he had dreams—or should they be called memories?—like this. For the first time, however, he was no longer just watching._

_"I remember now," he said. "You are only an illusion, created by Beryl to feed me lies. You're not real."_

_The Jadeite in the past had suspected this but had never confirmed it. But he, Jun Yoshida, knew the truth now, though it took deaths and destruction to bring him to where he was right now._

_But he knew … it was time to let go. The thought of betraying his liege again, whether being brainwashed or not, was as horrifying as it was embarrassing._

_And he wouldn't let it happen again._

_Suddenly, his surroundings fogged, and when it cleared, he saw a man who looked exactly like him, except with colder eyes and a twisted smirk on his face._

_"You'll never escape from the past. You will end up killing Mars one day and turning your back on Endymion again."_

_Jun stared at him, wondering for a moment if this Jadeite were a creation of his mind or the manifestation of the last bits of dark energy that had been infused in him by Beryl and Metallia._

_He feared the future. There were no doubts about it. He still was afraid. However, Koichi was right. If he continued to stay in the same place due to his fear, then he had learned nothing from the past._

_He would still be the same weak person he was in his past life._

_When a smile found its place on Jun's face, it was one that held a sense of peace and hope._

_"Nobody can escape from their past," Jun conceded. "But the future will always be held in our own hands. I can't guarantee that I will never fail again, but if I fail for the same reasons, then I didn't live up to my title as a Shitennou and do not deserve to even be near my Master, my Prince, my King again."_

~-0-~

Jun opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling, and it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer in the past. He was safely lying on a futon inside Hikawa Shrine.

His last days as General Jadeite of the Golden Kingdom had been in captivity, filled with days and nights of torture. The final straw to break the camel's back had been when they'd sent a monster bearing his mentor's face.

He had fallen into their hands, physically and emotionally weakened at that time—Queen Beryl had chosen the perfect moment to target him back then. It had been so easy to plant doubt and fear into his mind, believing that his brothers had betrayed him, and after days of persuasion by the monster pretending to be his mentor, he fell from grace.

He still didn't know how the Dark Kingdom had learned about his mentor, and he probably would never know, but if the information had come from one of the other Shitennou, he now understood that they must've done so unintentionally. After all, he himself had done things he regretted as well and would've never done if he hadn't been controlled.

Such as luring his real mentor over to the Dark Kingdom and allowing him to become one of the Seven Great Youma.

He rubbed his face with one hand as he patted around for his phone to check the time.

Getting up from the futon, he got out of bed and went through his morning daily routine before going out to search for the old man. It was still early, but the old man always had the habit of waking up early.

Jun's eyes softened when they landed on the old man, who was up and sweeping the courtyard. With each step he took forward, Jun's mind conjured up images of what might be scenes that had occurred between Jadeite and his mentor—or maybe they were simply fabrications of Jun's mind. But it didn't matter to Jun any longer.

One shouldn't dwell in the past if they wanted to create a brighter future.

The old man was humming a song when he turned around and found Jun standing a couple of feet away from him. "Oh! Jun-chan! Good morning."

Jun knelt down and bowed with his head to the ground to the old man, causing a look of surprise to appear on the latter's face.

"Jun-chan!"

"I'm sorry," Jun said, his eyes closed and a solemn expression on his face.

_And thank you, for … everything._

Jun left that unspoken. He would show his gratitude in the future. After all, he wasn't going anywhere soon.

The old man didn't immediately answer. After a short moment, he hobbled forward and helped Jun up, his eyes filled with tears.

"Welcome home."

Yes. He was finally home.

~-0-~

Jun didn't know why he hadn't asked Rei or even Minako. Perhaps it was out of embarrassment, but really, it seemed a bit silly, even to him, when he walked into Old Oak Tree to ask Makoto to contact the Queen and King for him.

Especially when he saw Naoto at the counter.

"You again. What do you want this time?"

Okay, it was a _very_ stupid idea to ask Makoto.

Thankfully, Makoto came out of the kitchen with a chocolate cake in hand just at the right moment, saving him from having to answer. She whacked Naoto on the arm with a towel as she walked past him.

"Stop trying to scare him."

Jun blinked when a smile tugged at the corners of Naoto's lips.

"It was funny while it lasted," Naoto said, trying to get close to Makoto as she placed the cake into the display, just for her to slap his hands away.

"Shoo," she said before she turned towards Jun. "You seem happier."

"Just … figured out some problems." Jun gave her a smile, but his eyes drifted over to Naoto a couple of times as curiosity stirred in his mind.

Despite the smile on Naoto's face, Jun thought he saw a flicker of suspicion in those dark brown eyes.

"I ran out of flour—" Makoto started to say.

"I'll go buy it!"

Within seconds, Naoto was out of the door, leaving behind a bewildered Jun.

"He doesn't remember," Makoto explained. "His past life, that is. But the Queen and King say that it's probably best this way, for everything to happen naturally rather than shove it upon him. He's applying for the position of palace guard right now, and we don't know what's the best way to tell him 'Hey, how about you become one of the King's personal guards like right now?' without it leading to his ego becoming even more inflated than it already is."

Jun snorted. "Good luck with that."

Makoto shrugged, a small smile on her face. "Koichi-san's problem, not mine. So … what brings you here?"

Jun chuckled. "I thought you knew, since you made Naoto-san go pick up flour for you."

"I actually don't know. I just figured it'll be easier to get him to go away before you start speaking, just in case it is something you didn't want him to know about," Makoto admitted.

"I … I've thought about the Queen and King's offer … their offer for me to return to the King's side," Jun said.

"Oh." Makoto stood up a bit straighter, seriousness appearing on her face.

"If they would .. want me back, I would be honored to serve his majesty and her majesty once more," Jun said.

Makoto paused for a moment before pumping a fist in the air and whooping. "I'm sure Serenity and Endymion will be ecstatic! Serenity had been preparing for your return ever since we've learned that the four of you came back. She would be so happy about this news, and really, it's just another reason for her to throw a party in the castle." She paused for a second. "But … why didn't you just tell Rei-chan? I thought you're living at Hikawa Shrine right now."

"I … don't even know," Jun admitted a bit sheepishly. "I made up my mind in the morning. When I realized I didn't know how to contact the Queen and King, I just … came here instead of asking Rei-san."

"Hm … Do you still think she hated you? In your past life, that is." She gazed at him for a while before sighing. "Look, I'm not her, so I won't go as far as to say that she was attracted to you back then or anything like that. But there's one thing that I'm absolutely sure about and that is she didn't hate you. She never did, and sometimes, I get the feeling that she cared about you."

Jun stared at her, at a loss of what to say.

Makoto patted him on the shoulder before going inside the kitchen. "I'll be right back. Gotta let Serenity and Endymion know that you're ready to get back into action."

Jun took that as a cue to look after the counter for her. Unfortunately, Naoto, who was carrying six sacks of flour on his shoulders, came back before she made a reappearance. Though Naoto didn't threaten him again, Jun couldn't help but feel that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

It felt like he was sitting on needles while he waited for Makoto, and he secretly let out a sigh of relief when she reappeared to inform him that things would still need some preparation and they would contact him about the date. Something, presumably one of her kitchen appliances, went off in the kitchen, and when she went back into the kitchen, Jun bade goodbye to Naoto and quickly left Old Oak Tree.

"Jun-san! Jun-san!"

He heard his name called when he was about a street down from the café. He turned around and saw Makoto running up to him.

"Why did you leave so quickly?" Makoto asked before a look of realization dawned on her face. "It's because of that bear, isn't it?"

"Not really—"

Makoto waved off the rest of his words. "Anyway, that's not what I caught up to you for. Serenity made me promise that I won't forget to tell you this time again. You know that vow of chastity thing Mars made in her past life?"

Jun nodded slowly, not certain why she was bringing this up again.

A brilliant smile appeared on Makoto's face. "She didn't take a vow this lifetime."

Jun's mouth dropped open slightly before he felt heat creep up his cheeks.

"I—Um—That's—"

Before he could say anything, Makoto's grin grew wider. "Don't forget to invite us when you guys hold the wedding."

She then turned around and ran back to Old Oak Tree, leaving behind a red-faced Jun standing there in the middle of the street gawking after her.

~-0-~

Minako was the one who came to Hikawa Shrine to inform him of the day when they would be knighted again.

"Do we need to prepare some kind of speech or something?" Jun asked, suddenly anxious about the whole thing.

"I don't think so?" Minako blinked at him, confusion written all over her face. "I've never been knighted before. But the King didn't say anything about speeches, so I'm assuming just … take it easy?"

It was easier said than done, and Jun didn't sleep all that well for the days leading up to their knighting ceremony. He doubted Zen slept well either, judging from the dark circles that had returned to their places underneath the strawberry blond's eyes.

Would the ceremony take place in front of a crowd? How would they be introduced to the public? They weren't like the Sailor Senshi. The citizens didn't know them at all. How would they react to the fact that these strangers would be protecting their Queen and King? What if someone remembered them from the time when they were minions under the power of Metalia? Would this cause trouble for Neo-Queen Serenity and King Endymion? And what about Naoto? Would he be joining them? Heck, they didn't even know if Koichi would be part of the ceremony, too.

He woke up so early on the day that they would be knighted again that it surprised the old man, who walked into the dining room an hour after Jun.

"You're up early today," the old man said.

"Yeah," Jun replied with a nervous chuckle.

The old man gave him a pat on the shoulder before going into the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Zen, who was usually a night owl, entered the room soon after.

"You look horrible," Jun commented.

"Like you look any better," Zen shot back, pulling the hood of his hoodie just a bit lower.

Jun wasn't really certain how he managed to get through the morning; he didn't even quite remember what he had for breakfast by noontime. Zen contented himself with playing with Phobos and Deimos, which under normal circumstances would've made Jun feel envious. The two crows always kept their distances from him while eyeing him with a single eye as if they were waiting for him to do something wrong. At the current moment, however, Jun couldn't care less.

He had a ceremony to look forward to, and dear Gaea, he didn't know if he were prepared.

In the future, when Jun looked back in retrospect, he wouldn't recall most of what had happened. He would only remember somehow arriving at the Crystal Palace and then being transported to Elysion, along with the Queen, the King, and the Inner Senshi.

He didn't even remember when he saw Koichi and Naoto—were they already at the Crystal Palace when he walked in? Or did they walk in after he did? All he remembered was kneeling down, reciting some words that Helios told him to repeat, bowing to the Queen and the King, and repeating some more words before a beam of silver and gold light shone on the four of them.

Jun felt as if that was the moment when he had woken up that day. A warmth spread through his body, through his limbs, before settling in his mind, heart, and pit of stomach. All traces of anxiety that had been bothering him seemed to be brushed away by the aura of peace that had settled on him. He then felt the tingling feeling of energy flowing through his body, gathering in his hands, before returning to his core.

 _His_ magic, he knew without needing someone to tell him. Not counting the time when he was once again brainwashed by the Dark Kingdom, he'd never used magic this lifetime, but somehow, he knew that he would have no problems wielding the power within him.

"Congratulations, Shitennou. The Earth has acknowledged you once more as the protectors of King Endymion and of Earth herself," Helios announced with a smile.

As if they'd rehearsed it, all four of the Shitennou, including Naoto, knelt down in front of King Endymion and bowed down their heads to him.

"Master."

~-0-~

The party was held in the ballroom. Apparently, it was much smaller than Serenity had wished for, with only the Queen, the King, the Shitennou, and the Sailor Senshi. The Shitennou were introduced to the Outer Senshi, and Jun felt that it was a huge accomplishment that none of the Shitennou managed to obtain a death threat from one Sailor Uranus that night.

Not that she bothered masking her disapproval and distrust towards them, but it didn't seem like she would be mowing any of them down on the street with her car any time soon. She also seemed to have fun at Naoto's expense.

Well, to be fair, almost everyone did, but Uranus seemed to enjoy mentioning something about Naru and Naoto whenever Makoto was within hearing distance.

As the night went on, Jun managed to slip away from the party. As much fun as it was, it was also rather overwhelming, and he felt that he needed a moment to himself, however short it was.

He wandered around the castle; Minako had given them a short tour earlier, right after they'd come back from Elysion and before the party started, but he was certain there were probably a couple of secret rooms that they weren't allowed to enter yet. Trust came with time after all.

He didn't plan to pry, so he kept to the routes Minako had taken them down, and soon, he found himself an empty room. The ceiling was transparent, allowing one to see the full expanse of the skies. The wall on the left side of the room was a floor-to-ceiling window, allowing one to overlook everything to the south of the Crystal Palace.

Standing in front of the window, he looked down at the city beneath them. Everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks suddenly felt surreal to him. Yet …

With a flick of his wrist, ice shards appeared in his palm before he allowed it to melt. Flexing his magic, he made the water droplets disappear into thin air, the energy still rushing through his veins, proving to him that everything was real, that he wasn't hallucinating this whole thing.

That he did find his family in everything except blood once more.

"You know, I'm still calling dibs on this room."

Jun turned around to find Naoto standing near the doorway with a glass of champagne in his hand.

A small grin appeared on Jun's face, and he looked around the room in an exaggerated manner. "I don't see your name written anywhere."

"I'll carve my name on the floor then," Naoto said, tapping the floor with a foot before he walked over to where Jun was standing. "Overwhelmed by everything?"

Jun turned his gaze back to the view and shrugged. "Maybe." He paused for a moment before asking, "Why did you decide to swear your loyalty to the King?"

He recalled Makoto saying that Naoto didn't have his memories back.

Well, technically speaking, neither did Jun, but at least he knew tidbits of his past life.

The man in question tilted his head to one side as if in thought. "Would you believe me if I told you I hear voices in my head?"

"Voices in your head?" Jun asked, turning his head to look at Naoto. "I mean, I believe you, since look at what we went through today."

"Makes you feel like everything and anything is believable now," Naoto said with a laugh. "But yeah, I hear voices in my head that tell me important stuff whenever I sleep in places where I can see the stars. I'll fight you for this room."

For a moment, Jun wondered if Naoto was bluffing, before he remembered that the man could speak to stars in his past life.

"Can't let you guys hide so many things from me, can I? Oh, don't look at me like that. I would have to be deaf to not notice Helios saying 'once more' or something like that. It means that we were, apparently, protectors of King Endymion before though we don't remember it, and you, Yamada, and Takahashi didn't even look surprised to hear that."

"Neither did you," Jun pointed out.

"... Fair enough. But I still think the three of you are hiding something from me," Naoto said.

Jun didn't want to lie to him, but he recalled Makoto mentioning that Endymion preferred for them to remember on their own.

The atmosphere surrounding them was peaceful, despite the exchange they'd just had. There was a sense of familiarity and comfort being in the company of Naoto, almost like moments when he'd hung out with Zen.

After looking at the view for a short moment, they returned to the party.

Serenity had wanted everyone to stay for the night, but Ami had been the first to decline, stating that she still needed to make some adjustments to the computer system. Zen said something about needing to familiarize himself with the system before rushing out after her.

Jun took that as a cue to leave as well. He knew the old man would take care of Yua and so wasn't overly worried about her well-being, but he did want to tell the old man about what had happened.

Before he could say anything, however, Mars spoke up. That placed him in a dilemma. If he excused himself now, would she suspect him of stalking her?

[ ](https://www.flickr.com/gp/184713977@N03/8203CN)

"Jun-chan," Serenity called out, bringing him out of his reverie. "You're not going home with Rei-chan?"

"I … uh …"

A sweet smile appeared on Serenity's face. "I know she's Sailor Mars, but she won't be in her fuku when she walks home."

"Like someone would dare to do anything to anyone right outside the Crystal Palace," Uranus spoke up.

The Queen leaned over and said something to her. Uranus scrunched up her face but didn't say anything.

"Ahem, so where were we? Yes, we wouldn't want unnecessary trouble in Crystal Tokyo. Bad for the press, you know? So it'll probably be best if you escorted Rei-chan home," Serenity said.

"Your Majesty—"

"Please, just Serenity will be fine amongst friends."

Jun wasn't about to argue with her about that, but neither did he feel comfortable calling her by her name rather than her title.

"I … don't wish to burden her, neither do I wish for her to believe that I have dishonorable intentions. My first and foremost priority is to uphold my duty and protect you and the King and to repay my sins," Jun explained.

Uranus raised an eyebrow upon hearing Jun's words, and her facial features noticeably softened.

A small frown appeared on Serenity's face, but it was quickly replaced by hopefulness. "That's understandable, Jun-chan, but those shouldn't be the only things you commit yourself to. After all, Endymion and I wouldn't want any of you to have a breakdown due to stress."

Jun opened his mouth and shut it again. He couldn't really argue with that.

"I'm not suggesting for you to immediately start a relationship with her, but I do hope that those closest to me can reach an understanding and have, at the very least, a friendly relationship," Serenity said.

With a deep sigh, he bowed his head. "Understood, your Majesty."

Serenity seemed like she wanted to say something as a small frown appeared on her face when she heard the title he used for her, but then decided against it.

After thinking over what Serenity said, Jun decided to take his leave. After all, he had wanted to go back to Hikawa Shrine. As for Rei … he couldn't imagine her being unreasonable about it. After all, she'd permitted him to live at the temple in the first place, so she couldn't turn around and accuse him of stalking her.

Much to his surprise, he found her standing outside the Crystal Palace with her back towards the entrance.

As he walked up to her, he couldn't help but feel a bit of trepidation before he brushed it away. He was being silly and overthinking things. Maybe she was just standing there waiting for someone else.

He was about five feet away from her when she turned slightly and took a glimpse of him, causing him to stop in his steps. She then turned around and started walking away, thoroughly confusing him. After she'd taken a few steps, she glanced backwards again, and upon finding him standing there, she stopped as well.

_She can't be …_

For a short moment, Jun felt as if his mind had gone into overload. Then, with his heart pounding hard against his chest, he slowly walked up to her and felt his breath catch when she fell into step with him.

It took him a moment, but soon, he managed to get his heartbeat and breathing somewhat back under control.

They didn't say anything while they walked back to Hikawa Shrine, and Jun honestly felt that they didn't need to.

When they reached the archway at the top of the stairs, they both stopped walking at the same time. Rei had her eyes lowered, so he couldn't exactly tell what she was thinking.

"Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he replied, and he was glad his voice sounded much calmer than he was actually feeling.

As she walked away, Jun thought he saw a suspicious tinge of red on the high of her cheeks.

_Seeds can be sown at any moments in time … but before it is fully grown, how can one be certain if the seed is a seed of sin … or a seed of salvation?_

~-0-~

_Fin._

~-0-~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to Nerys for beta-ing this chapter! Huge thanks to those of you who've read and gave kudos! Huge thanks to i1976_blu_notte and casablancalilies for commenting! Also, thanks again to teamvanessacloud for the beautiful artwork she'd created for this fic!!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * A [Restricted Work] by [SerpentInRed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerpentInRed/pseuds/SerpentInRed), [teamvanessacloud](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teamvanessacloud/pseuds/teamvanessacloud) Log in to view. 




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